My Dear Kuon - Cancelled
by Fae 206
Summary: After a year dealing with Kyoko's terminal illness, Kuon is devastated to hear that they are out of options. Trying his best to take care of her and with guilt in his heart, Kuon tries his hardest to make her feel loved. However, what if she never really was dying? What about if all of this was a plot against the Hizuri family? Can he rescue his princess? - A little dark -
1. Chapter 1 - Love

**Author Note:** Is it strange to redo a story that you only started less than two weeks ago? I really loved writing the story and did enjoy its dark tone, but I felt that I had rushed through instead of pacing myself and thinking of each chapter individually. Well, because half of writing is editing and rewriting I'm going to try it again.

I hope there are people out there who do like this story and I want to thank you for giving either this story a first, or a second, chance.

 **My Dear Kuon**

 **Chapter One – Love**

The past eight years had been a blur for Re-Kuon. Not only had his façade as Ren Tsuruga come to an end – which had also blossomed into a new life for the Hizuris – but he had everything he had been scared that he wouldn't be able to have. He had been married to his wife for nearly six years now, they had a three year old and a one year old together, they both were in acting and owned three properties: one in Shinjuku, one in Kyoto, and one in Los Angeles. It seemed like a very good setup.

It seemed like a very good set up. They spent most of their time in the large and elegant four-bedroom apartment in Tokyo and then used the traditional house in Kyoto and the beach front location in America for vacation homes. Maybe it was a little extravagant, but being top actors in their field really helped them pay for those homes.

At least, it seemed like a good set up until a year ago.

That was when it had all come crashing down. Kyoko had been doing fine and her fans loved her so much that sometimes Kuon would be overly protective of her. She had been proving she could act, and act amazingly, and Shou Fuwa had been out of her mind completely. That was before the couple got the test results, only four months after Kaguya was born.

Kuon had insisted that she had been checked over by a doctor. He knew it was hypercritical but for Kyoko to be breast feeding their daughter it was important that both of them were healthy. She had assured him that she knew exactly what she was doing. She hadn't. They hadn't.

It seemed to be alright in the beginning. For a few months after the diagnosis, Kyoko had actually managed to convince him that she was fine and could handle the workload she had as she usually did. She was sick of being pregnant and had only returned to the drama a couple of months ago. Now that her maternity leave was over it was time to do the thing that she enjoyed most, well the third thing.

Kuon inhaled deeply as he waited in the doctors office, he felt people watching him but he didn't care anymore. They were used to him being here, the media had already given up on the current story and would only report if there was a dramatic shift. Neither of the beloved couple were ready for this dramatic shift.

Kuon stood as he saw Kyoko wheeling herself out and immediately went over to her.

"Did it go okay?" he asked, his face showing the weariness of someone whose treasured wife had been ill for too long and his eyes showed a broken kind of hope as if this was going to be the time when she told him that it went okay. He wanted to be in there with her but she had already made him promise to wait outside.

"Did you pace today?" she asked him with a weak smile, trying to sidestep the question.

Kuon looked down, "a little bit," he admitted, "but please tell me what's going on, princess," he said as he cupped her cheek and kissed her lips, drawing away with his sad and terrified expression.

"You should practice your gentleman's smile again," she commented before seeing him break a little more internally. "They said…can we talk about this at home?" she asked looking around nervously.

Kuon nodded solemnly.

It had to be something bad if they couldn't talk about it here, but Kuon wasn't prepared with how bad it was. "I'll sign us out and go get the car," he said softly as he gently wrapped his arms around her and then drew back. "I love you."

Kyoko grinned, "I love you too, almost enough to forgive how little like Ren you are now."

Kuon opened his mouth to speak, but just decided to nod. He didn't want to argue that he was the same person, he knew how much work he had had to put in to acting over these past few months. He knew how his hair was a mess, how thin his own body was, the sense of dread and fright that made him look uncool and discomposed.

Kuon turned towards the counter before looking at the love of his life, "Please tell me that it wasn't him you fell in love with," he said, his voice catching in his throat. He didn't want to admit it to himself but with the disappearance of Ren he was afraid that Kuon wasn't good enough.

Kyoko reached out for his hand and gently ran her thumb over the back. "I apologize for that," she smiled softly, "You might not be the Ren the public knows, but you're the same man I fall in love with every day and the first man who I properly love. All of you, that is the man that I want. The only one."

The blond felt his body relax slightly, "I'll be right back," he told her before going to the desk.

Watching him be so uncertain and continue to fall apart, Kyoko felt guilty about the man she had married. Before she had become worse, her body like a skeleton, her hair slightly thicker, her face not as pale, her temperature warm and carrying all her energy, he had been a superstar. She could always see that his fairy wings were strong and beautiful, but now…he was carrying around slumped wings that were losing feathers every day. He wasn't as strong as he used to be despite how much he tried. She had done that to him.

She forced a smile onto her face as he came back to her, "Do you have everything?" he asked her as he picked up his own bag. "All the medicine, papers, your bag?" he asked as she nodded. He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "I bought you something else today," he said hoping to get her proper smile again. Every time she went to the doctors he would bring her a gift. Maybe he was spoiling her too often, but he couldn't help it. He wanted his wife to be happy for as long as she was alive.

"Every time," she laughed, "You know that all I'm really looking for is you, you being here and loving me. I don't need anything else."

"Can you please just open it?" Kuon asked weakly as he slipped the box into her hand. He saw Kyoko feel the paper and then open it. Inside was a figure of Cinderella's horse drawn carriage with horses included. "If you open up the carriage," he said seeing her grin. Inside was a necklace with a high quality gold star. On the star in pink read the word 'Kyoko'.

Kyoko felt tears fall down her cheeks as she reached for him. "You never run out of ideas, do you?" she asked as he grinned, his happiness coming from her excitement and joy over the present. "How did I get so lucky to find you, Corn?"

"How did I get so lucky to have you become my wife?" he asked as he helped her put the necklace on.

As Kuon wheeled Kyoko out of the hospital, the figure now secure in the box inside Kuon's bag, he helped her down the ramp and then picked her up in his arms in a princess style. Gently he helped her sit down in the passenger seat whilst he put the wheelchair in the back of the car. Nothing was wrong with her legs, at least in terms of nerve damage, but she had become too weak to stand and walk around.

Continuously Kuon tried to persuade her to let him stop acting but continuously she had argued against it. The only thing she had said – kept saying – that made him still stand in the spotlight was that she wouldn't ever be able to forgive him or forgive herself if he stopped even for a moment.

Apparently Kuon was to live up to the standards set by a twenty-year old Tsuruga, Ren instead of what he wanted to do now at twenty-nine.

As he started the car, he turned to her, "You're not going to tell me until we get home, are you?" he asked before taking her hand and holding it gently. "I can handle it."

"Watch the road," Kyoko replied, "I don't want you to get into an accident."

"You know that I'm a great driver," he argued back stubbornly, "We've had so many conversations in this car. I've always made sure that we're okay even when we gave each other the silent treatment. I want to know now what's wrong with my wife."

Kyoko stared down, "I'll be able to show you the papers at home," she argued with her own stubbornness.

Kuon turned to her as they stopped at the light, "I'll promise to look them over when we get home. Could you please just…tell me what the doctor said?"

Kyoko looked down, "You'll get angry," she said nervously.

Kuon took a deep breath in as he watched the road, "There is absolutely no chance that I'll get angry at you," he argued. "I would not get angry at my wife whilst she's ill. Don't start telling me that you're still blaming yourself for getting sick. Please, Kyoko, if you care" he turned the car getting into a longer line of traffic, "about me at all, tell me."

Kyoko hung her head and spoke in a very sad voice, "They said I'm out of chances."

She froze as she saw the horrified expression on his face as he looked at her for a brief moment before going back to driving. She felt her heart break as her mind memorized that expression.

"Did you just…" he said as he continued to drive them safely, "How long do they…"

"They think maybe only a few more months," she said as his body turned rigid. He held to the wheel tightly. She bowed her head and then her body, "I am so so sorry, Kuon."

Kuon looked ahead as he tried to calm down from the terror that filled his entire body, "Don't apologize. I should be the one apologizing, I didn't keep you safe. I am so sorry, princess" he said as she saw the tears in his eyes. Kuon was always so skilled at holding back his emotions so seeing him in such a vulnerable state scared her. She looked down, trying her best not to see him so weak.

"Now," Kuon said as Kyoko dared to look up at the eyes filled with tears, "can I take a break from acting?"

Kyoko nodded. "Of course," she squeaked. "Maybe it would have been better to not have -"

"No," Kuon replied as he moved onto the road their apartment building was on, "it's better that you told me. I'll try my best to make these remaining months the best you've ever had. Did you want to go down to Kyoto?" he asked trying to remain strong for her.

Kyoko nodded, "only for a week or so," she said. "I want to stay here in Tokyo with everyone."

Kuon nodded, "anything you want," he said. "I love you, so much," he said as he went into the parking lot, "You're the love of my life," he said as he finally felt relief getting to the correct spot.

"You'll find someone el-" Kyoko argued as Kuon looked at her feeling betrayed.

"Never," he replied.


	2. Chapter 2 - Ice Cream

**Chapter Two – Ice Cream**

Was it nostalgia that made Kyoto look so beautiful or was it the fear that this might be the last beautiful morning she would see? Kyoko sighed. Was she afraid? She didn't know if she was afraid of death or whether she was ready to face it, what she was afraid of was that one day she would be here with her family and the next, gone.

She heard the sound of her son laughing outside his bedroom and grinned. "Kou?" she asked before seeing her three year old son dashing in front of her wearing only a jacket. "Kou? Where are you clothes?" she asked as he turned and ran up to her.

"Mama" he giggled. Kou skipped towards her and Kyoko scooped him up, she set him on her lap and felt him hug her tightly. "Daddy tay I can wear" he laughed.

Kyoko looked at the small boy. Kou had very unruly brown hair which – surprisingly – was the same shade as Ren's had been. He was a little round on his face and body but according to the doctors was perfectly healthy. He had green eyes that sparkled just like his father's. He was a very curious child who always tried his best and Kyoko loved him. She loved how easily he could laugh and be happy and how much she knew he loved her.

"Daddy didn't say you could _only_ wear," Kuon said as he came out of the room with a shirt and shorts with a pawprint pattern for the little boy. "Morning, princess" he said as he kissed the top of Kyoko's head and then cupped her cheek and kissed her lips, pulling away and just gazing at her for a moment as if memorizing her. He took a step back and ruffled Kou's hair.

"Morning," Kyoko smiled as she played with the zip of Kou's little leather jacket.

"Daddy tay no wears all cwoez" Kou tried to explain, "pick"

Kyoko looked up to Kuon for an explanation. She knew that when she helped Kou get dressed they would go through the clothes and try to decide together what went best. Sometimes they would go with a story and think about what the character would need. Kou would get really excited and motivated with it. She knew that whereas her approach had more fantasy elements, Kuon's had more efficiency.

"Kou wanted to wear everything in his closet today," Kuon laughed as he took a step back and rested against the wall. "He had so many ideas this morning so I told him to pick one thing he wanted to wear the most and we'd pick some pieces to match it. I didn't say he could only wear that one thing," he explained. He grinned when he saw Kyoko's face light up and heard her light laugh.

He put a hand on his chest as if committing that sound to memory. They hadn't told the kids about Kyoko dying, Kaguya wouldn't understand and Kou probably wouldn't either. It was best to just make the most of the time they had left together.

"Oh, then maybe you can help Daddy pick out some good things," Kyoko kissed Kou's nose. "You need to teach Daddy how to pick out the best clothes for you to wear."

"Yea!" Kou grinned. He looked back at Kuon and gently got off his mother.

Kuon felt Kou hold onto his hand and he gently ran his thumb over the little's boys hand. "Why don't we think of something fun we can all do today, something fun we can all do together?" Kuon asked Kou as he tried to show a lot of excitement and energy instead of fear and heartache.

"Ice cweam!" Kou grinned. There was an ice cream place that they usually went to when they came down to Kyoto, there were a lot of royalty themed sundaes and treats. There were cookies shaped like fairy tale characters and ice creams with princess decorations on them. Kou liked the Westernized knights on his favorite 'kids sundae'.

"Ice cream sounds good," Kyoko nodded eagerly, "Maybe we could go and look in the shops as well."

"Yea!" Kou giggled, "Daddy haf ice cweam?" he asked looking innocently into his father's eyes.

Kuon looked down, "Daddy might have something else? Maybe he'll have some fruit," he said not wanting to commit to eating something too big. He usually only had some ice water and helped Kaguya eat her ice cream but then this seemed like it would be one of – if not _the_ – very last time going there as a family.

Kyoko gave Kuon a flat expression, "You're right, Kou. I think Daddy should eat ice cream too. He needs to eat different foods every now and then."

"Daddy eat all dinner" Kou giggled as Kyoko nodded.

"Yep, he needs to eat all his food up. You need to help him do that, Kou. You need to ask Daddy if he's eaten enough if he looks like he's done," she said as Kou blinked. "Will you do that special thing for mama?"

"Yea!" Kou nodded, "Daddy eat ife cweam."

Kuon sighed and put two fingers on his forehead. "Fine," he said with a smirk, "I guess you two win for today. I'll have a single scoop of ice cream."

Kyoko smiled softly, "Thank you," she teased as he rolled his eyes.

….

….

 _Kuon loved this house. It was a traditional style house in a very good area of Kyoto. It was a much better area than the one in which Kyoko had grown up, but with a long walk or a short car ride they could arrive back at the spot where the two of them had met. Kyoko had only found out after the two of them had started dating that the area where they met was private property._

 _When they had gone to the land and seen the private sign – despite it saying visitors welcome but respect nature – she had been worried about whether they could actually go and see the things that had happened during their childhood. She had told Kuon these worries and heard him laugh._

 _The owner of this preserved area was Tsuruga, Ren._

 _As for this house though, Kuon loved it. He liked the architecture and the sense of elegance, he liked the different rooms that all would be decorated and fitted to be a library or an office, he loved the way that they had a garden AND a little stream of their own but what he most loved was how much Kyoko loved it._

 _Kyoko was twirling in the light, a wide smile on her face which seemed to fade slightly as she just caught him watching her. She looked like she could have started dancing at any moment, either that or talking about how a fairy kingdom had existed in that spot. She looked at the blonde and smiled lovingly, she stuck her tongue out at him playfully._

" _Huh?" he asked with a confused glance._

" _You're watching me, Kuon." Kyoko spun around again and giggled, "I can't help it, this house is beautiful. The way the light shines down from there," she pointed to a high window panel, "makes everything so rich and wonderful and magical."_

" _Anything in particular?" Kuon asked raising an eyebrow with his gentle chuckle. He had crouched down and was now squatting on the floor just watching her and taking her in. "Is there anything in particular that you love, princess?"_

" _Yes." Kyoko grinned, "You."_

…..

…..

Kyoko smiled as she took cute bites of the ice cream sundae in front of her. It was a vanilla and strawberry sundae with hot fudge, raspberry sauce, and berries. Kou had a mini chocolate brownie sundae. Kaguya had a scoop of strawberry with a little bit of strawberry sauce in a cone and Kuon had a single scoop of a dark chocolate where the chocolate cut the sweet tone a little to give it balance.

She watched her son play with the little figure of a knight that Kuon had bought for him and saw Kuon pay more attention to Kaguya than his own ice cream. She would have scolded him in a playful manner if he wasn't such a sweet and adorable father.

"It's yummy, isn't it?" Kuon asked as he helped clean the fifteen month old's cheek, "you know your mommy thinks it's yummy too," he said as he kissed Kaguya's forehead.

Kaguya giggled, "Mama" she laughed as she played with her spoon, getting more ice cream on the table.

"Why don't we do our best to keep it in the bowl?" Kuon asked.

Kyoko smiled as she watched him, she loved how he would always add the words 'do our best' or 'do your best' when he was talking to people. He had often said it to everyone as Ren Tsuruga and it was something that he had always carried with him. As long as everyone was trying to do the best of their ability, it was okay. That was something that she loved so much about her husband, he didn't care about the end result as much as how everyone always took care of themselves and did their best work.

Maybe before it wasn't something that she had always shared, the end result was of course where her teenage-minded goals had been, but hearing Kuon's feelings about self-acknowledgment and self-enrichment proved to her that doing your best was what mattered the most.

Kuon saw Kyoko watching him and took a bite of his own ice cream feeling that's what she was waiting for.

She smiled as Kaguya got more ice cream on her face, she started to sing a little song to herself.

Kuon shook his head with a playful smile and concentrated on his own food. He never had gained a strong appetite, he had his parents to thank for that.

After they had finished and Kuon had gently helped Kaguya get clean, he slipped his phone out of his jacket pocket and stood up. He took a few steps back and managed to get all three of them In a photo, Kyoko looking up at him with surprise.

"I want you to delete that," she commented as Kuon looked at her shocked.

"I refuse. It's going in my saved, why would you want me to get rid of it?" he asked. He was scared to forget any of these memories or have the children not have all the proof they needed to see who their mother was.

"It's incomplete," Kyoko said as she waved over the waitress who had brought their ice cream over, "Could you take a picture of us?" she asked.

The woman nodded, "Can I get you to uh…sign…" she said quickly.

"We'll sign whatever you want," Kyoko assured her, "as long as it's not binding or illegal. Could you just make sure that my _husband_ gets in this shot with the kids and I." Kyoko reached out for Kuon's hand. She would not let her husband stand by himself on the outside of the photo, they were a team and she knew Kuon would need these memories after she could no longer be with him.

Fortunately, the waitress was either a very kind soul or she really wanted an autograph from one of them. She took six different pictures and Kuon stood up. "Is It okay to write you one of these?" he asked as he held up one of the cards that the store offered, he handed her the money for it.

"Y-Yeah," the girl nodded, "My name's Naomi," she said as Kuon started writing and then handed the pen and card to Kyoko to finish.

 _Naomi. Thank you very much for helping us have these memories of our time together as a family. I apologize if it's any inconvenience to you, but thank you for your kindness and generosity. You were sweet to my kids and didn't invade our privacy. Good luck in pursuing your dreams. I am very thankful to you – Kuon Hizuri_

 _You don't know how much my husband needs to be the one treated and spoiled. Helping us have those photos together shows you are a strong, kind, and lovely young woman. Please remain you and don't let anyone change that kindness in your heart. Fight for yourself and the chance to preserve the spirit that gave a father a chance to be in a family photograph with his wife and kids. – Kyoko Hizuri_


	3. Chapter 3 - Take Care of Yourself

**Author Note:** I really wanted to thank everyone who continues to read this. It might not be as popular as my other Skip Beat story right now but it really does mean a lot to me that people have chosen to continue reading my work, so thank you.

 **Chapter Three – Take Care of Yourself**

Kyoko sat outside their house in Kyoto. They had been here for a week and she had been able to say goodbye to the area. She had loved going to their secret spot the most and telling her children how she and Kuon met and then going on to talk about how much he had taught her about acting and then how she had fallen in love with him. She had left out a lot of mentions about Shou, but she had given Kuon a lot of compliments despite him saying he wasn't that kind to her.

Kyoko watched the sun set and the way the trees blew a little in the wind. She wrapped the blanket around her tighter and smiled as she heard the sounds that only come from this area of Kyoto. It was her home for a long time, but her real home had been after she and Kuon had moved in together and were sharing a bed. Her home was in his arms. This was true no matter what their physical location was.

It scared her though.

For nearly a year, Kuon had given her all of his time and his energy. All of his concentration was going to her with only a slight amount – an amazing amount – being dedicated to his acting. Outside of work though he hadn't done much for just himself. He had always tried to be strong for her and what terrified her the most was how much he was disappearing as a person. Maybe if he hadn't tried so hard to help her then he wouldn't have broken so much.

She heard the door slide open and looked up to see Kuon there with two cups of her favorite tea and some traditional snacks. She would always remember when they had found that shop with the best mochi she had ever eaten and how he would always go and find it for her.

She wondered if Kuon would ever find somebody he would spoil as much as he spoiled her.

"Hey," he said as he came over to sit beside her, "It's a little cold out here, want me to find another blanket?" he asked as she noticed he was only in a light sweater himself.

"I'm good," Kyoko grinned. "Are you going to scold me, Tsugura-san?" she asked playfully as he laughed.

"I wasn't that bad, I didn't scold you _all_ the time," Kuon smiled at her joke. "I guess, when I was giving you those lectures, or when I was Ren and giving you those talks, I was trying to help you and…"

"You turned me into the actress that I became and I am always going to be thankful for that," Kyoko sighed. She saw him look nostalgic as he watched the garden in front of them. She reached out for his hand, "I'm scared," she admitted. In a moment she saw his relaxed face turn to one of panic and concern. He really had become terrible at hiding his emotions from her.

"Is there something I can do to fix that?" he asked as she saw him mentally draw up lists and try to come to conclusions about how he could help her. "Do you want me to go out, there must be some shops that are still open. I can check on my phone," he continued to worry.

Kyoko shook her head, "I'm…worried about you, Kuon."

She saw him blink hard and look at her confused. She was already expecting him to tell her he was okay and that it wasn't him that the two of them should be thinking about. She spoke as soon as he opened his mouth, not this time, this time they were going to look at the issue realistically.

"Kuon, have I really expressed how grateful I am to you especially this past year, but I'm worried for you as well. When was the last time that you did something for you? I don't mean for me or for work or for the kids, just something for you," Kyoko asked. She saw him try to think about it and her heart broke. For a lot of people it came as an immediate answer but he had spent so much of his time dedicated to other people that he really hadn't given himself time to be selfish.

"Didn't we go see that movie that I wanted to see, you know 'Shadows'?" he tried to say. That was a movie that they had seen a few months ago and it hadn't been Kuon's choice at all. In fact, it was only because of Kyoko wanting to see that movie that they had gone in the first place.

"I asked you if we could see that," Kyoko replied as she saw him try to find another example. "Kuon, after I'm gone I'm worried about…"

"I'll take care of the kids," Kuon said immediately. "I might not be as good as you and I'll never be able to take your spot in their lives. I'll make sure they remember you though, the videos and photos, they'll remember you."

Kyoko nodded softly, "I know," she smiled with full confidence in his skills as a father. "I know that the kids will be loved and taken care of, but I'm worried about you. All the time we've been married, you've cared so much more about me and our children than yourself and all the time that I knew you, even as Ren, you've been stubborn but not very selfish. It's a good trait but I want you to do things for you, not for anyone else, just for you."

Kuon sighed, "I…" he took a deep breath and then let it go, "I'll try to do that more often. I was childish when I was Ren though."

"So," Kyoko shrugged, "Kuon, if you don't take care of yourself then you can't take care of the kids," she argued back. She turned to him and then opened his arms to hug him. He immediately wrapped his arms around her. "Promise me you'll look after yourself, for me?"

Kuon took another deep breath in and nodded, "Okay," he said with a caring smile, "If that's what makes you happy then I will promise I'll do that more often," he tucked her hair behind her ear. "I love you."

"I love you too," Kyoko nodded as she kissed him passionately. "My brave and noble Kuon."

….

….

 _Kyoko took her boyfriend's hand as they walked down the shopping area. She knew that she was still trying to climb up the ladder of stardom and Kuon had already cemented his place on top, but she could already hear people talking about them. She held close to Kuon as she heard the girls screaming out for him._

" _Oh my god, that's Ren! Why is he with someone so boring?" a girl asked as Kyoko felt the sharp pricks in her chest. She turned to look at her reflection and saw him watching her as he came to a gentle stop. Kyoko blinked, she wore makeup now and had money to spend on cute clothing, but was she still plain and boring? Was Kuon going to tire of her?_

" _Anything wrong?" he asked her as he took them to an area where they could stand and talk without the crowds. "I know that look, Kyoko, so come on, tell me."_

 _Kyoko turned red and bowed her head, "am I enough?" she asked as he stared at her confused. "I mean, am I going to be enough for you, Ren?" she asked as he pulled her close._

" _Of course you're enough, more than enough," he said as he rubbed her back wanting to cheer her up._

" _Do you think I'm attractive enough?" she asked before looking up at him with tears in her eyes. She felt his hand cup her cheek and then he kissed her gently._

" _You are my beautiful, gorgeous, amazing princess. I don't think there is anybody in this world more attractive than you," he said as she looked at his eyes. He spoke with true belief about this and she didn't really understand why, but it was true. As gorgeous as she felt he was, he looked at her with those eyes that proved he felt the same about her. "Now, I was going to take you to that cosmetic store you wanted to go to, still want to go."_

 _Kyoko nodded. She felt his hand on hers again and looked down with a wide grin, there weren't many guys who were willing to stand in a cosmetic store just because their girlfriends wanted to go. She was extremely lucky to have found a man who would._

….

….

It had happened too suddenly. They had only been back in Tokyo a little over a month when Kuon received the call that his wife was in the hospital. He had been in the grocery store with his parents watching the kids. It hadn't even been Kyoko on the other end of the line, just the words, "This is Doctor Takado at the Tokyo Medical University hospital, your wife is in critical condition."

Kuon had dropped everything before apologizing quickly to the people in the grocery store. Immediately he had rushed out to his car and made his way – probably breaking the speed limit in different areas – to the hospital. He couldn't bear to leave his wife alone.

In his gut he felt a sharp pain as if this was the end, but his mind refused to see that. They had more time, the doctor had said that they would have a couple more months to say goodbye. He felt his heart rip in his chest as his mind refused the feeling that was flowing through his whole body.

The woman he loved was on her death bed and he hadn't even been able to take her to the hospital.

He was greeted by a doctor who immediately led him to Kyoko's room. His eyes widened as he saw the doctors trying to stop her body from completely giving up and he flew to her side. He knew he was in a state and was the least cool he had ever been, but he managed to hold her hand, kissing it several times.

"Princess, I'm here. Kyoko, I know you can fight, please sweetheart, please fight for me," he begged as he saw her look at him. She fiddled a little with his blond hair as he pressed his forehead to her hand.

"Kuon?" she asked as he noticed how her voice sounded like a ghost's instead of his precious and wonderful Kyoko. "I'm sorry."

"No," Kuon shook his head, "I love you. I promise that I won't replace you, I love you so much. Thank you for fighting as hard as you have been," he said as she put her hand over his cheek. "Thank you for everything, princess. I love you. I'm sorry if I -"

"I love you, Kuon," she said. "I'm so grateful I was able to spend these years with you. I love you, please tell Kou and Kaguya I love them."

"Every day," he nodded, "Every day I'll tell them," he looked up at the doctors desperately as he heard the extended beeps on the heart monitor. This couldn't be happening right now, she couldn't be preparing to leave him right now.

"Goodbye, my fairy prince. I love you, Kuon," she said as her eyes slid to a close and he felt his heart break further. Kuon heard the long beep, he heard them try to resuscitate his princess. He knew that she was gone, his face buried in her chest and his body shaking as the sobs hurt his body.

He had lost her. He had lost the woman he loved and he had nearly missed it.

"I love you always, my beautiful princess Kyoko," he whispered as he felt the grief overwhelm him.


	4. Chapter 4 - My Son

**Author Note:** Thank you so much for all of the support you've given me for these chapters I am really appreciative by everyone who read, liked, favorited, followed, and especially took the time to review. I hope you enjoy this chapter too.

 **Chapter Four – My Son**

Kuon felt his whole body shaking as he looked at his parents in his house…their house. Over the past three days, Kuon had fallen apart. It was obvious that he had kept himself together for Kyoko's sake but this was just so very very different.

Despite how he still went through the motions of life, the young actor didn't seem awake anymore. It was as if he was going through life like a robot. Although he knew the right way to take care of himself, his mind never processed those thoughts. Everything in life just seemed like a dance that his body did on its own. Waking up. Eating small meals. Sorting to the necessary paperwork. Making funeral preparations. Making sure to eat something. Taking care of the kids. Going to sleep. It all seemed dark.

Thankfully, Kuu and Julie had arrived before Kyoko's death and were able to help him out, but Kuon would need to wake up soon to actually start his life properly.

At this point Kuon was standing outside the house with worn jeans and a hood sweatshirt, he also had a baseball cap that was a promo given out during one of Kyoko's movie premiers. Kuon was also wearing sunglasses so that no one would see his bloodshot eyes.

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you?" Kuu asked. "I'd be happy to come along and speak with Lory as you sign the papers," he suggested as Kuon sighed.

"Are you okay taking care of Kaguya, mom?" he asked ignoring his father. He didn't want to argue and say that he couldn't come because Kuu would ask him why and to that Kuon had no real response. If he said yes though, then he would have absolutely no real response to the questions the reporters would ask him and the idea he couldn't even go out by himself.

Julie grinned to the little girl as she held her close. "We'll be fine, dear."

Kuon nodded and took a step back, "Well, I'll be back soon. Do you need me to go anywhere? Pick you up-"

"We've got everything under control, I promise," Kuu said quickly. He wanted to hold his son in his arms and make everything better, but there was nothing that could make the loss of a loved one feel better. He had wanted to take a moment and do anything he could to make sure Kuon got there and back safely. He was still terrified that Kuon would kill himself out of guilt. It was a very scary and terrifyingly real possibility.

"You-" Kuu began but was interrupted by a loud yelling.

"Daddy! No!" Kou said as he rushed past his grandfather and went to hug his father. "No! No! I come too!" Kou cried.

Kuon paused, he stared at the little boy and immediately knelt down with him and wrapped his arms around the three year old he loved so much. He felt Kou clutch to him and Kuon pulled him close enough to feel his son's breaths in his chest. "Kou?" he asked as he noticed the little lion toy that his son carried with him had been dropped on the ground.

"Daddy?" Kou asked with his arms around his father's neck. "No go."

Kuon looked at the tear streaks on his son's cheeks and noticed the same heart broken eyes he had seen in the mirror as a young adult. Kou really was too much like him. "Hey," he whispered as he took off his sunglasses and sat down on the dirty ground. "Come here," he smiled as he pulled the little boy onto his lap.

"Mi'ter Wion" Kou said as he stretched out a hand for his toy lion. Kuon grabbed it and gave it to the young boy.

"He's okay, see, he's just a bit dirty" Kuon laughed as he rubbed the lion's paws.

Kou laughed as he watched his dad play a little with the lion toy, he held it and cuddled close to his father's chest. "Daddy gonna tee mama?" he asked.

Kuon frowned, he looked at the ground trying to think of the best way to explain this. He thought of the way in which he would explain it and imagined Kou having a very confused expression on his face. He then thought about how Kyoko would want her death to be told to them, "Well…Daddy can't see Mama right now," he said.

"Daddy bad?" Kou asked nervously.

"No, nobody is bad, it's just that mama was really sick and she had to get better but…" he took a deep breath committing to thinking about the way in which Kyoko would explain it. "Well, people doctors can't fix sickness like that, so mama went to the fairy kingdom so fairies could help her. We can't see her, but fairies have ways of watching us and making sure we are well. I think they might help mama get her wings."

"Mama like fairy" Kou smiled sadly. "I wan mama"

"I know," Kuon said as he held his son close to him, "I know, but even though we can't have mama here with us, we can wish her happiness with the fairies and we can wish her wings are really strong and pretty. I think that mama will have beautiful fairy wings, don't you?"

Kou nodded, "Yeah," he said softly. He clung to his Daddy again and Kuon managed to get up whilst holding the little boy.

"Okay, dad" he nodded, "can you drive the three of us?" he asked. Kuu nodded and went to the car. He had to smile seeing Kou and Kuon together, Kuon really had turned into quite a fantastic dad.

…

….

 _Kuon smiled happily as he held his son, his first child, in his nursery for the very first time. He was amazed at how little Kou was and how he was already crying and moving and curling up to Kyoko as if she was the most amazing person in the world – which to Kuon she was. "Are you happy that we have a son?" he asked his wife as she laughed._

" _I am. I am very happy we have a son that's so cute and so healthy and so loved," she grinned happily as she looked at the little baby in Kuon's arms. She took out her camera and double checked that the flash was off before taking a picture of her husband and son._

 _Kuon smiled at her before concentrating on the baby in his arms, "I think you should take him, Kyoko. I'm scared that I'm going to drop him. I'm probably a worse father than I am an actor," he joked._

 _Kyoko stuck her tongue out, "Probably, but then you are apparently the best actor in Japan," she smiled. "Kuon, your son loves you, just hold him. You don't want me to give you a Tsuruga Ren style lecture over this; do you?"_

 _Kuon laughed. "You use that for everything, I for one don't even know what a Tsurugra Ren style lecture is. You don't seem to have a defined set of rules for it, besides how do you know the difference between a Tsuruga Ren lecture and a Hizuri Kuon lecture?"_

 _Kyoko laughed and tried to cover her mouth, "Oh," she giggled, "You definitely do know what I'm talking about. I saw you last night giving yourself that lecture."_

 _Kuon sighed and then started laughing a little as well, although he did pull Kou closer to keep him safe. "Okay, yes I know. Maybe Tsuruga Ren should have been his father."_

 _Kyoko shook her head, "He has the best possible father holding him right now. Our little Kou Hizuri."_

" _I just hope he's more like you," Kuon commented._

" _Of course not," Kyoko said as she wrapped her arms around Kuon from behind, "He is going to grow up just like his father and I wouldn't wish for anything else."_

….

….

It had been a good idea to bring Kou to LME. Despite the cameras being here and people talking about them, the fact that his son had been able to be entertained by both the president and Maria really helped. It was also good that his father and his son had been able to go around visiting people that the family knew whilst Kuon discussed taking at least six-months off from acting.

In addition there was still paperwork for Kyoko that he had to deal with. There was going to be a funeral in less than a week that was a closed event for family and friends and then there was a national memorial service for her a few days later.

It was going to be exhausting, but Kuon would do his best to be Kyoko's loving husband no matter what that meant at this point.

There were also those very familiar words repeated to him but this time through the lips of Lory Takarada, " _Whatever you do, we need you to take care of yourself, Kuon."_

Kuon wondered whether it was because he was _that_ irresponsible. He went up to a bench where Kuu and Kou were waiting for him and smiled weakly before feeling someone try to hit him. He dodged out of instinct and stared into the eyes of his rival for the longest time, Shoutaro Fuwa.

"It's okay," he said seeing his dad's protective instincts bubbling up.

"Daddy?" Kou asked confused why the other man had tried to hit his father. He watched his father easily dodge a few more hits.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Kuon asked him darkly.

Shou had barely changed in all of the nine years in which Kuon had known him. He still had his bad attitude, his want to shock everyone with making a difference with his clothes and hair and music choices. He was one of Japan's legendary musicians for a while before he fell out of popularity and was talked about as being a legend at one time rather than the present. He still had his anger though.

"I thought you'd moved out of Tokyo" Kuon said with a deep set glare, his eyes finally finding a release for his anguish and pain.

"Well, I thought a murderer like you needs to be put in his place!" Shou snapped.

Kuon's eyes went to the side briefly as he saw his dad trying hard not to get involved, he sent a shot of thanks for being there for Kou through his own eyes. "I didn't murder my wife," he said calmly though his eyes were showing a high threat of the danger and anger inside.

"Well, you're the reason that she died. You weren't able to get her better. I bet even your money didn't work," he said coldly. "You were absolutely useless to her. She deserved so much better than you."

"She did," Kuon nodded, "She did deserve better than what I was able to give her."

Shou blinked in surprise but then was able to mask it, "At least you're smart in one thing. If I was with her I could have cured that illness, I could have made sure she didn't get sick to begin with. I'd definitely not be like you running around and trying to stop her from being ill."

"I never said you were even close to being worthy of her," Kuon argued back in a calm manner.

"You were useless as her husband. I've never seen her make a more pathetic choice than you. Now you're the one responsible of forcing her into a marriage and an illness and a death. If she hadn't had kids with you, she would still be here."

"And if she hadn't ever met you, she'd be happier, but I do have you to thank for bringing her here where we could meet and fall in love. Kyoko and I were married with kids. We had an internationally televised marriage and two kids we would have both given the world for. You, however, have twenty-five years where you have not once had a serious relationship with a woman. Don't you think you need to figure your own life out before you talk about my wife's?" Kuon asked.

He had tried to keep his voice at a calm tone, but at the end he had definitely felt his anger burning.

"Well your son's a dirty, idiotic mutt" he said before Kuon felt himself break and the urge to hit the man in front of him came, but his body was held back. He felt his heart break again as his father held him. He looked up at his dad and then at Shou who was walking off whilst laughing to himself.

"Why did you stop me?" he asked trying hard to compose himself.

"Because of the same reason why you only got violent when Kou got involved, because more than anything, I love my family and I love my son," he said as he saw Kuon just break. He turned his son around and held him.

"It's okay not to be strong all the time," Kuu said as he reached out a hand for Kou.


	5. Chapter 5 - Kyoko's Magic

**Author Note:** Once again I want to express how much I am loving writing this story. I also want to thank you for the support from all of you and especially the reviews Just to let you know, whenever a review comes through in a language I don't speak I rush to my computer and try to translate them. It means a lot to me that you guys are reading my English when you are more comfortable in a foreign language, I really appreciate that from you

Well, I hope you enjoy.

 **Chapter Five – Kyoko's Magic**

 _Ren smiled as he watched his girlfriend standing on the balcony of the tall Japanese skyscraper. It was coming to the end of the day and Kyoko had suddenly had the idea that the two of them could come up to the roof and see the sunset together. He laughed as he stood there, his mouth covered as she reached a hand out as if to try to touch the sun itself._

 _How could he even pay attention to where they were – or where they were not supposed to be – when she looked so adorable like this. He coughed as he saw her frown._

" _You're not looking at the sky," she grinned, "Do you really dislike sunsets that much?"_

" _Well, I love watching them with you," he smiled. "It's just, it's hard to concentrate on something like that when I can see something as beautiful as you." He grinned happily as she blushed, her whole face turning red._

" _You love to embarrass me," she giggled, "but it's something I love about you. You use words to your advantage, that's what I really love about being an actress. I can say the same sentence a hundred different ways because of my character. Whoever you are now or in private, your words are your own..." she quickly looked side to side to make sure nobody was watching them, "Kuon."_

….

….

The sun was setting. People were watching Japan's treasured actor standing up to speak. Yet, all Kuon could see was the darkness that came from this day. He had done his best to create a fairyland for Kyoko's funeral, he had gone over the details countless times trying to perfect his goodbye. Yet, now, at the time for him to speak he felt empty and confused.

Words, Kyoko had said, were always something he could use to his advantage.

They wouldn't help him now, they wouldn't bring her back to him.

He should have never had her. That was the biggest mistake he had made, he was never supposed to have had someone so pure and beautiful, someone so innocent and amazing, his Kyoko. He had done this to her. Perhaps if she hadn't met him she would still be alive. Maybe if she had never met Shou Fuwa she would have never felt pain. It didn't seem like life, the world, the universe, anything was giving to her what she deserved.

And still here he was, responsible for yet another life.

This one had been a life that had been shared with him, a heart that had been given to him, his wife and close friend, the mother of his kids, his princess Kyoko.

He took a deep breath and fixed his gaze on the coffin. It didn't matter what he said to anyone else, he wanted to make sure that if there was an afterlife, she would hear his words and know how special she was and how much she would be missed.

"I have known Kyoko for a very lo-long time," he began. He frowned as he tried to concentrate more. He was a skilled actor, surely he could do this for her without falling apart. "When I was a child, my family brought me on a trip to Kyoto. It was there where I met my wife for the first time. It was only for a few days and she never really knew who I was, but I gave her a precious stone that I told her could help her with her sadness."

Kuon took another breath in and clutched tight to 'corn' in his hand. "I don't know if I was really what you'd call an actor at that age, but she believed it. She believed a ten-year old's story about how he was a fairy prince who could cure sadness with the name of Corn. It wasn't because she was stupid, all of you know that Kyoko definitely wasn't stupid, but it was because she was accepting. She did her best to accept others despite her circumstances. It didn't matter whether you were angry or sarcastic or you just lectured and scolded her far more than she needed to be, as long as you weren't hurting her you were accepted by her.

When we met years later in Tokyo, I had closed off my heart to love. I even remember having trouble expressing that emotion before I chose to allow myself to love her. Even though she thought that I was a stern teacher or mentor, she always worked hard and gave it her best. It was too easy to fall madly in love with her. That's what she brought though, that crazy love. I know the story she told me of breaking a phone at her LME audition and of chasing and stalking our head of the talent section to get that audition, but both of those men affected started to love her as well."

Kuon smiled as he felt his heart break as he stared at the container of Kyoko's body. "I don't think she ever really believed how much people who opened their eyes and tried to encourage her dreams felt that passion for her. It wasn't pity, if it was pity you can bet she wouldn't have liked it. It is that very special magic that she leaves behind. She never left a moment untouched and even if she broke something in anger or got lost in her own dark thoughts, every single moment she spent with us was always somehow better after she'd been there."

"I think that's why I could fall in love with her so easily. When I was younger, I did want to keep my heart open and believe in all the wonderful and creative stories she told. I wanted to believe in magic and in fantasy, I wanted to live in worlds that seemed foreign and fictional and yet all so real at the same time. I know that's acting, but Kyoko brought it to our lives. She brought it especially to my life.

I don't know if I would have ever been able to be the Kuon Hizuri I am today if not for her. No, I know I wouldn't have been. Kyoko managed to see who I was even when I was Ren Tsuruga, she managed to see the person I was behind the costumes and the false pretenses. She made every part of myself I disliked into something better and she honestly and openly accepted me for everything I was and everything I am.

She gave us the greatest gifts. She gave us hope and acceptance and friendship. She gave us the right to feel better about ourselves and our dreams. She gave our children wonderful years and I hope that I can honor her in making sure to give them all the love that she would as well as my own. Kyoko was everything. She could be everything."

Kuon felt his body shake and his throat get sore with how painful saying these words were. He missed her so much and all of these words didn't really mean anything, they didn't bring her back.

"I miss you so much, Kyoko" he whispered as tears filled his eyes. "I don't think I will ever stop missing you or loving you. You are the one girl I fell in love with and I won't ever let that love go. You are my world and I am so sorry that the world took you away from all of us who love you very very much. I know that you feel you have already done too many favors for the world, but I will wait to meet you, I just ask you to wait for me to meet you on the other side. I'll take care of everything, my dear Kyoko and I will never let your magic be forgotten."

With that he stepped down hearing the sobs and felt people surrounding him as he shook. He looked over to his children with his mother and felt someone pull him into his arms.

"Kuon," Lory Takarada – dressed in a normal suit this day – said, "She would have loved it. Call me as soon as you are in America, alright. I'm still working on the shrine."

Kuon would have argued but he nodded, he smiled weakly before pulling away. "Thank you," he said before walking with Yashiro's hand to his back over to his kids.

….

….

At the end of the day, Julie had put both children to bed. Kaguya was barely understanding anything but was incredibly drained from the long day and Kou had reluctantly gone to bed. He knew the fairies had taken his mother away but maybe he could do something that his daddy didn't know how to yet. It was going to take time for them to understand the situation.

"He hasn't eaten very much," Julie pouted as she sorted to the gifts that people had brought to the funeral in sympathy with the actor and his family. There'd be even more at the memorial.

"It's less than usual," Kuu nodded, he hummed before looking around nervously. He had expected to feel some kind of presence of his son being there or at least some dark gloom from somewhere in the house. "Did he…go out?" he asked confused.

Julie paled, "he wouldn't…" she said very worried about this, "not to them. He wouldn't let them become orphans," she argued. "He wouldn't do that."

Kuu sighed, he had to think straight. "Is there a bar around here?" he asked.

….

….

Yashiro smiled in satisfaction as he put his hand down on the counter of the bar. He was facing a blond actor who was wearing a leather jacket and had a hat pulled down so you couldn't really see his face. This actor also was on his third glass of whatever he was drinking. "I knew I could find you," he said. He didn't want to tell Kuon that he had been tailing him ever since he snuck out of the memorial service.

Kuon raised an eyebrow in surprise, "I thought you weren't drinking," he commented.

"Well, this isn't my location of choice but I thought I'd join you to make sure you're alright," he said. Yashiro sighed as he watched Kuon, "You do realize that Kyoko's passing isn't your fault."

Kuon shrugged as he finished his third glass. Yashiro picked it up, letting the ice slip from one side to the other.

"Are you also going to tell me not to drink, you're not my manager right now. I thought you were going to take a break?" Kuon asked.

"Well, we are _both_ taking a break," Yashiro nodded, "but I'm not here on work duty right now. I'm here because I have a good friend who might just be in a lot of pain. If you haven't forgotten what happens in a friendship is that when one friend is hurt the other tries to make it better for the first."

"And you think following me to a -" Kuon tried to argue back before seeing the door open.

Standing there was a woman in a black suit jacket, white shirt, and black skirt. She was also wearing a black bucket hat and sunglasses. She had long black hair and was wearing thick, square-rimmed glasses with dark blue eyes. However, he could tell instantly who it was.

The woman came closer to him as he stared at her. The way her eyes shone, the way her bone structure was so delicate, the way he had known he had tucked those strands of hair behind her ear so many times. He just didn't know why anyone else wasn't seeing this.

The girl leaned towards the bartender as Kuon stared at her in complete shock. His hand was shaking and it looked as if he was just going to go into a psychological breakdown. His whole body was shaking and he was making some stuttering noises. The girl took out a manilla folder from her bag and gave it to him with a soft voice, "Mistress said to give you this. She'll take payment at the end of the month. Mistress is so good to me. I must make sure she is paid."

She looked at Kuon and blinked, he sat there wide eyed and jaw open as if he was seeing an alien leap out of someone's chest or a monster break through the window. She tried to turn but felt a hand grab hold of her.

This man looked like he had some problems, deep ones as if he had just seen something terrifying.

"K-K-Kyoko?" Kuon asked in shock.

Without a doubt, this girl, the one who wasn't recognizing him right now, had been, less than two weeks ago, Kyoko Hizuri.


	6. Chapter 6 - Trapped

**Chapter Six - Trapped**

Kuon stared speechless at the girl in front of him. He looked into her eyes, his own wide and filled with the shock that one could only expect to see the woman you buried walking around as if nothing had happened. In her eyes was fear of a stranger and the innocence a young child might have.

"Ky-oko?" Kuon repeated.

He could feel his voice break, but this wasn't a normal situation. Today had been perhaps the hardest day of his life, saying goodbye to the woman he adored and here she was right in front of him. He wasn't that drunk, was he?

He turned to see that Yashiro was talking to someone a few seats away. Maybe that was indicative of the fact that he hadn't seen this woman. Then again he was destroying cameras that were trying to get a shot of him, it seemed only natural for a manager and good friend to do. However, Kuon was brought back to the woman who was managing to rip her arm away from him.

"Kyoko!" he yelled as she shivered, didn't she know her own name?

He stood up immediately as she tried to run away from him. He wasn't going to let her go just like that. This was his wife who the whole of Japan believed was dead and buried. Even though she somehow didn't know him, he wouldn't let her get away.

He watched her dart away and managed to keep up. She was using her power to go incredibly fast, but he was using his own power to follow her. He wasn't going to let his body keep him from this woman that he loved no matter how fast she ran.

He managed to catch her just as she was running down the entrance to an alley, he wrapped an arm around her and pushed her to the wall, safely putting one arm behind her head to cushion the blow it might cause. "Kyoko" he said as he looked at the terror in her eyes. "Why are you running?" he asked. "How is this…"

"Please don't hurt me," Kyoko begged as Kuon felt the shock flash through his body once again. "Only mistress may hurt me. Please don't hurt me," she sobbed. "I must return to mistress, I must find mistress" she struggled to say.

Kuon's eyes narrowed, had somebody brainwashed her. What on earth was she talking about?

"Do you know who you are?" Kuon asked with tears in his eyes as he ran his fingers through the black hair. He looked down at her and noticed bruises on her body and cuts on her hand. What was hidden beneath those clothes? "Please, don't run from me. I don't mean to scare you, but what do you remember?" he said as he pushed his head to her shoulder and kissed her neck as she felt the tension in her body.

"Please let me go," she begged him as her body shook from fright. "Only mistress may touch me. Please let me go, I beg of you, if mistress were to find out…"

"Never," Kuon said as he let himself take deep breaths in and out. "I'm sorry, but I will never let you go again. You may not recognize it, but you're safe here. I'll never let you not be safe again. I'm so sorry. I don't know what's going on, but I'm not willing to lose you a second time. I hope you forgive me for my selfishness."

He reached up to her lips and ran a finger over them before kissing her deeply.

He wasn't sure that it would work but in all of those fairytales that Kyoko believed in, true loves kiss had some effect. Maybe he could help Kyoko remember him if he kissed her. "I love you," he said, "Kyoko Hizuri."

He looked at her to find her in tears and shaking as if he had just raped her. He took a step back hating to see her shiver like this. Maybe he shouldn't have kissed her like this, but he couldn't help it. He had believed she had died and he would never be able to kiss her or hold her again, but as if a miracle had happened she was here in front of him.

"Kuon!" a man called out and for a split second Kuon looked away from his wife and stared at his father. Kuu looked extremely relieved to have found him. Kuon immediately tried to look back at Kyoko but there was an empty space and she was gone.

At least he knew that she was alive.

….

….

 _Kyoko knew she had never been as jealous as this the previous year in which she had known Tsuruga Ren. She also knew that none of this really mattered to Kuon, or Ren, because both of them had chosen to be in love with her. Still, why did a guy who had recently announced his relationship with her getting so many Valentines gifts._

 _She looked around at the piles of chocolate and flowers and cards and tried to take deep breaths. Ren was a superstar in Japan and she had known that long before they had started to date one another. Ren was used to getting all of these gifts and flowers, he was used to having girls swoon over him and spoil him. However, with so many girls being attracted to him, what made her special? Would she soon be replaced?_

" _It's an eyesore isn't it?" Ren asked quietly as he stepped up behind her, "I thought that they'd leave me alone once I told the media that I was dating a beautiful, wonderful, exceptionally gifted woman."_

 _Kyoko paused as she felt Ren wrap his arms around her from behind. She looked down, she just had to remember that it was Ren receiving all these gifts and her Kuon was only getting a gift from her. She had the only gift for Kuon Hizuri, that meant it was more special, right?_

" _How many of these women do you think are beautiful, wonderful, and exceptional?" she asked as she looked at the gifts, they were much nicer than what she could afford._

" _Well, they might be beautiful or wonderful," he said as he turned her around and grinned at her, "but none of them I find exceptional, there's only one girl that I feel that way towards," he said before kissing her sweetly._

" _I'm just scared," Kyoko whispered, "You could be with a better woman, you could have a better girlfriend," she worried, "what if I'm too plain or boring?"_

" _Never," Ren laughed as he pulled her close to his chest. "I will never let you go, don't you remember that you called me_ _ **your**_ _king of the night."_

 _Kyoko smiled as she felt comfort in being held by him, "I'm very possessive," she said, "I'm sorry that I'm jealous," she worried._

" _Don't worry," Ren smiled, "I want you to be possessive over me because I am very possessive of you as well."_

….

….

Kuon nervously stood in a field a short distance from where the Kyoko memorial was being held. He could see all the people wanting to mourn the fallen celebrity, but he remained calm as he held onto a card. He knew people would start looking for him, worrying about him, but he had to find out what had happened on the night of Kyoko's funeral.

He knew it didn't make sense to be at a memorial service for his wife when he had found out that she wasn't dead. However, in situations like these he had to follow the card or otherwise the plan would change and he might miss something. Honestly, after Kuu and Yashiro had said he was either too grieved or too drunk and that was why he had seen Kyoko that night, he had wanted to go out and uncover some clues to prove that she was alive.

He had wanted to rescue her and make those who had taken his dear wife pay, even if that resulted in letting the Kuon Hizuri from the past out. He had a violent past, fortunately the media hadn't found that out, but his wife had. His wife knew that he could be dangerous and she had noticed the signs of it almost coming out. Still she would just come to him, wrap her arms around him, tell him that it was okay and she loved him and somehow it would always calm him down.

He held to the card as he read the words on it again:

 _If you want your Kyoko back then attend her memorial. Meet me at 11:30 on the north field to get her back. Tell nobody about this or she will be harmed. I will tell you then how to retrieve her – The Mistress_

Kuon looked at his watch again. Maybe he should have alerted the authorities and let them know what was happening. Perhaps by just coming here alone, he was acting stupidly. He was always foolish when it came to these kind of things, always rushing ahead wanting to save what was precious to him. Perhaps if he had just thought more about it, planned out what he was going to do. If he had done that, would it have made a difference?

He turned as he heard someone approaching him and saw a very battered Kyoko.

He felt his anger rise as he noticed the new bruises on her and the deep cuts where blood had definitely run. His anger was at the woman who seemed to be keeping his beloved Kyoko on a leash. Maybe he could just rip her apart and steal his wife back. Every nerve in his body was preparing for just that action. It was just his brain that was keeping him back.

"How dare you hurt her like that!" he yelled as he kept a close eye on Kyoko.

"Busakimo! Dogeza!" the woman, a short blonde woman wearing Gothic Lolita clothes, demanded as Kyoko obediently did so.

Kuon looked at her and then at the woman, "Stop it. She's hurt," he said, "You said you wanted to arrange her release with me. Do it now or I swear you might not be able to breathe tomorrow," he said as his heart tightened seeing the miserable state that this woman had put his wife in. It wasn't fair at all.

He felt the word Busakimo run down his spine, the word meant ugly and creepy. It was a word that was used to hurt someone, he hated hearing his beloved Kyoko reacting and acting when called such a name. "Let her go," he said with deep and uneven breaths.

"Only if you agree for an exchange," the girl smiled cruelly.

Kuon felt his anger rising even further and his eyes narrowed, the deep level of hate was something that even Kyoko hadn't witnessed before. He was definitely getting to become his past self. If he didn't control himself then the fate of the woman in front of him might be terminal.

"What do you want?" he asked trying to keep his voice calm though there was an ever increasing amount of darkness in his voice. "Money, fame, what are you after?"

"Those things don't tend to please me," the woman giggled. "No, what I want, always wanted is you."

Kuon stared at her before shaking his head, "You don't even really know me. I doubt you'd want me after that, I'm not exactly who you think I am. I am especially not Ren Tsuruga or don't you keep tabs on the news," he said bitterly as she approached Kyoko. Kuon's eyes flashed as he saw a knife in her hand. "She'll be okay. You'll release her," he said as his heart beat faster.

"That's what a trade is, isn't it?" the woman asked as she put the knife away.

"You'll put her back to normal, the way she was before she died," he said not wanting Kyoko to call anyone her mistress or allow anyone to treat her like this. He saw the girl nod as she grinned. She had caught him. She had taken what mattered most to him and used it like bait. "Alright," he nodded. "You have a deal," he reached out to shake her hand but instead felt a metal collar strapped to his neck and then electricity run through his body making him unable to stand.

Before he blacked out however, he could see Kyoko regaining consciousness as she yelled out to him, "Kuon! Stop it, you're killing him! Kuon!"

Then it was black.

….

…

Kyoko didn't remember what had happened in between being with Kuon in the hospital on what she remembered to be her death bed and seeing him being electrocuted in front of her. Then it had all turned hazy and she had woken up a little later in a field completely alone. Her heart hurt as the zaps and yells from Kuon echoed in her head.

Where was he? Why couldn't she remember this?

She needed to make sure that he was okay.

As she went towards where large crowds of people were, she looked around only to see them all staring at her as if she was some kind of mutant. She took a deep breath in, someone here must be able to help Kuon and track him down. He needed to go to the hospital, she didn't want to see him in pain like that.

As she looked around at the people watching her, she caught sight of a stage and a huge banner with her picture on it. She stared at it nervously as she read the words

'In loving memory of the late Hizuri, Kyoko'

What on earth was going on?


	7. Chapter 7 - Who Are You?

**Author Note:** First of all, I know I've updated this a lot recently and should probably give more people time to read it, but I'm excited for it and heading into my long weekend of work thought I'd put it out there before I'm too busy to write. Secondly, although I don't like answering individual questions in an author note, when you have a guest review I guess that's the only way I can.

No, this is not going to go in exactly the same way that the last attempt did. There are of course things that will carry over and brainwashing will still be a part of it, but this time it will be a bit different and actually bring with it more happiness. Also, I write the names with the comma because I've been studying stenography and it turned into a bad habit for me. Good for court testimonial but bad for fanfiction.

One last thing, in the beginning I said they lived in an apartment, I'm going to change that to house because I already had done so in another chapter. Sorry for that and sorry for so many author notes.

Well, I hope you enjoy.

 **Chapter Seven – Who Are You?**

 _Sharp blue electric sparks. Deep red blood oozing onto the tiled floor below. The yell of a man in pain…and then it's over_

Kyoko felt in a whirl as she tried to look at herself in the mirror. She had heard from Kuu and Julie that she had been pronounced dead and that they had gone to the funeral only for her to be alive. She had heard that her body had gone missing before the funeral but nobody had told her husband even though they assured her they all thought they had. She kept trying to remember things but it was just a flash or a few seconds of memory and then nothing.

Well nothing could have been stronger than Kuon on the ground as someone hurt him. She had once thought him inhuman, incapable of being hurt. Now that she had proof he could get hurt so easily, it was the only thing she could think about.

 _The smell of a red hot iron. The placement of it on ones leg. The smell of burning flesh. The torment endured by one man…and then it's over_.

Kyoko wrapped an arm around herself as she looked over at Kuu who was nearby. She was sure he kept looking at her to make sure she was alright. She knew that the last time they had seen her alive she had been in a wheelchair. She wasn't sure why she wasn't? Even if she wasn't sick, her legs would have atrophied but they seemed fine. She put a hand to her bruised neck and as she gazed at the horrible black and purple bruise she remembered his lips and his warm breath.

She remembered how much he had made her feel loved and how she missed him so terribly right now. She imagined him holding her again. She imagined his long legs, strong torso, and how he could smile in a way that made plants surrounding them bloom. She could remember him and before she was ready to let him go all she could see was the bruise.

 _A whip in the corner covered in blood. This time though it wouldn't draw any wounds. It was wound around a man's neck as he struggled harder and harder to breath…and then it was over._

How many days had it been since she had seen him? Three? She had been useless as a wife, her husband, one of the most recognizable men in all of Japan, had gone missing three days ago and she couldn't find him. She had even tried to use her powers, but for some reason he was gone. If only she could try to see the kind of place that she had been in. She had to start slowly, visualize whatever she could and try to memorize it like when she practiced her characters reaction in a scene. She had to start off slow and then catch onto any detail she could.

They were tiled floors, she felt her body being pressed onto cold tiled floors. There was dirt in the ground, it was dirty, abandoned and -

"Mama?" Kou asked behind her. He watched her as she mouthed words to herself as if trying to figure out a math equation. Kou pouted as he watched her.

 _Fire. The man's brain was on fire as he resisted the torture. He wouldn't give away something like that. He wouldn't allow himself to be brainwashed…or else, it would be over._

The air was cold in that room, she had felt frozen and water, there was access to water. There was active plumbing so…no not abandoned. There was a smell that she was only beginning to remember, the smell of lighter fluid of gas of something...

 _The flames roared higher as the man felt unable to get away. The flames were a bright roar of color. The heat was agonizing….would it ever be over?_

"Mama!" Kou said as he stamped his feet. "I wan Daddy" he said as Kyoko blinked.

She looked down at her son, she would always see this boy as a little mini Corn, and stopped herself from thinking. "Hey, darling," she said as she ran her hand through his hair. "I'm sorry. Daddy went to save Mommy and bring her back here. Daddy still needs to finish his work so we'll have to cheer him on, okay?" she asked.

 _They wanted him to forget that name. He wouldn't. He would fight against this, his body wasn't his right now, these wounds weren't his doing. He would never let her take his mind though, he would never let her take her away from him…_

 _Then it was black._

Kyoko was startled when she heard a loud thump outside the house. She heard a car drive away and nervously went down to check it out.

She went to the door and looked around nervously before opening the door. Outside was a large black bag and her heart twisted in her stomach. This was the type of object that one would usually call a body bag. She felt her heart beat quicken. If she had been in her younger days, she would have felt that this was a trap from Reino, something she really didn't want to handle.

Now that she was older, it was far worse.

Was this the kiss of death? She felt her hands shake as she walked towards the bag, her stomach squeezed and she felt her mind racing. "Please don't be dead. Please don't be dead," she repeatedly whispered. Her heart had dropped to the pit of her stomach and she nervously unzipped the bag not sure if there was a bomb in there or…

She gave a yelp as a body fell out, her hands hovered over the mess of a man and she quickly grabbed him to turn him over. She was caught by seeing his face, he was breathing, his eyes were closed but he was trying to breathe despite the strips across his mouth.

"Kuon," she whispered as she looked him over.

"Kuu! Please call an ambulance!" she said as she ran her hands through his hair, it wasn't the usual blond strands she was used to. She could feel the end of the strands that had been charred, the blood that had hardened there. Why hadn't he fought? He was strong, she knew how strong he could be, wasn't that enough to save him from this?

"Kyo-Kyo" Kuon panted as she finally got the material off of his mouth, she moved him onto her lap seeing her father-in-law coming out to see them. "Kyo-ko" he said as she nodded. She needed Corn's power now, Corn would know how to do this and she had Corn right on her lap. Maybe she could use her own magic for Kuon.

She didn't know where to start though, there was too much blood and she didn't know which was newest. She didn't know what places of her husband's body it was alright for her to touch or where it would hurt him. She hated seeing the tears in his clothes, his shaking body, his fear. Kuon tried his hardest to never let her see his fear.

"It'll be alright," she whispered to him as she tried to figure out what to do.

Just what had her husband been through in the past few days? Why hadn't she been able to do more. "Kuon," she said softly as tears fell down her cheeks, "What hurts most?" She watched as his breaths slowed and she pinched him hard. "I'm sorry, I promise I'm going to keep you awake," she said to him. "Kuu, can you come with us to the hospital?" she asked.

Kuu nodded as he carefully ran a hand through his son's hair, he just hoped he'd make it through this.

….

….

Kyoko was very thankful that her husband's condition had been able to be stabilized. However, now that he was in a hospital bed with his body cleaned and wounds wrapped, she could tell just how much torture he had been in. She wondered if she had been like this. Probably not, though she had some minor cuts and bruising, he had stab wounds, scars, burns, and looked as if someone had used him for their personal voodoo doll.

On one of his long legs the word 'kainashi' which meant worthless and cast-off. It might not be the biggest insult, but she didn't know how she could help her husband who might have to see that day after day. She just hoped he would believe her that it wasn't true.

Sadly, a part of her could understand why someone would want to put someone else through this torture. She didn't know if it had been something that Kuon had done in the past or if he had been mistaken for somebody else or even if he was just a bystander in the situation. Deep within herself she had to admit that she understood why someone would do this. She didn't have to agree with it, but she could at least try to build a character on that.

What she really failed to understand was why they would let him go after such a short period of time.

As glad as she was that they didn't shoot him, wouldn't that have been the easiest way? She could barely remember the woman who had taken him and now all of their clues about the hideout and their group would be discovered. The worst thing that they could do was give her Kuon back.

Wouldn't they at least like to smear something about his reputation? Wouldn't they want to use him for insider access. What was the point of just stopping all of their plans and bringing him back to her. She tried to think that over before hearing a cold hearted laugh. She blinked, that didn't sound like her Kuon.

"H-Hey, you're awake," she said getting up immediately. "Where does it hurt?" she asked before seeing him looking away and continuing to laugh in a way that BJ would be proud of. "Uh…Kuon" she said nervously.

This wasn't right. This man in the bed right now wasn't her Kuon.

Kyoko felt her heart beat quicken as she heard that twisted laugh and saw him smile, madness gleaming in his eyes. This made much more sense, they had broken him, they had taken a man who had rebuilt himself to become kind and honest and hardworking and the perfect husband and father and they had tortured him into his former self, no, not his former self. The former self of Kuon wasn't like BJ or Cain Heel, he must have been tamer than Cain. He didn't deserve this.

"Kuon?" she asked not knowing whether to run or stay with him.

"Kyo-" the man said as he stopped laughing and turned towards her, "Kyoko" he whispered as she saw the sweet and innocent ten-year old who had helped her. The one she always wanted to protect, the innocent Corn. "Somethings wrong…" he told her, "I'm…" he stared off into space with that twisted sick look in his eyes.

Had she lost him that badly?

….

….

 _Kyoko turned a deep red as she watched her boyfriend laugh as he drove her home. She saw the kindness in his eyes as he watched her and felt her chest pull in. "I'm not lying to you," she attempted to convince him. "Sometimes when I'm playing a role I get scared that at one time I'm going to enter the role as Kyoko and then I'm not going to be allowed to come back out. It's called psychology, Ren."_

 _She looked at him again seeing his playful smile towards her, "You think I'm laughing because you said something stupid, don't you?" he asked. "Did it ever occur to you that I could be laughing because of how cute you are?"_

 _Kyoko bowed her head as she turned a darker shade of red, "How about instead of trying to embarrass me you watch the road?" she asked._

 _Ren grinned again. "I think it's a plausible thing to think," he said. "I mean, I wonder if I could ever not be Ren anymore. Now that thought does scare me. It is sometimes extremely boring not to slack off a little from time to time," he said with an over exaggerated sigh._

 _Kyoko looked at him and smiled, "I look forward to the day when you are fully Kuon, though I promise that there will be some parts of Ren that stay too," she grinned to him._

" _Thanks," he nodded with a calm smile, "for all your belief in that and thank you for seeing the real me, beneath everything else."_

 _Kyoko nodded with a smile, "You're welcome."_


	8. Chapter 8 - The Darkest Part

**Author Note:** So, I said that I wouldn't be replying until after the weekend, but I had a really bad day and need some way of destressing and secondly, I never thought that the last chapter would get so many hits so quickly. I hope that means you guys like reading this story as much as I like writing it.

 **Chapter Eight – The Darkest Part**

Kyoko felt her heart trapped inside her chest. She kept trying to relax her breathing, but looking into the eyes of the man she loved scared her. It was as if she wasn't looking at him anymore. She wasn't looking at Ren Tsuruga, the mature and wise mentor who always encouraged and inspired her. She wasn't looking at Corn, the fairy prince who had had such joy in his voice and shared his magic. She wasn't looking at _her_ Kuon either. Her Kuon was a gentle person who had opened his heart to understanding what made each individual uniquely them. Kuon was giving, kind, sweet. He had shown her how to love and he tried to not judge others, he wanted to work with those different from him.

This man, she was scared she didn't know anything about it.

She took a deep breath in. Maybe this was stupid, she had always been told that she was reckless and foolish. She didn't want to think that he could hurt her, this was the one man she had fallen in love with, he wouldn't hurt her, right?

She knelt down, trying to avoid the pain from her own bruise and grabbed his chin in her hand. "I know you're hurt," she said sternly, "but I'm going to be very upset if you don't make eye contact with me, Kuon" she said. She could feel her body shaking but she kept still. She had to try to take control of this situation. She had two choices, she could either run or she could try to help him.

"I'm fine," Kuon attempted to struggle from her hold with a deep giggle that just seemed not like him.

Kyoko's eyes narrowed as she continued to hold his chin. "Look at me" she repeated, a fire blazing behind her. "Kuon. You are stronger than this, just come back to me, focus on me."

She smiled as she saw Kuon weaken with their eye contact. So, she had found a way to get him to calm down, as long as she didn't break eye contact they were good. She took deep breaths before kissing him, pulling back she smiled internally. He was still here, he was still inside whoever this broken Kuon was.

"Listen to me carefully and I only want you to say yes or no," she said directly to him. "Do you feel as if a chest was opened?" she asked, "Do you feel that somehow a switch was turned on, or a lock unlocked and you felt yourself snap? Do you feel that all the anger inside of you, anger that you never had, was released at that point."

She took slow breaths, she looked into his eyes. She had to just keep reflecting on the color of his eyes, she had to check her memorization of the exact shade of greens that were in there. She watched him as he nodded.

"Yes," he said as she took another deep breath in.

"Do you trust me that you're not alone?" she asked, "Do you trust me that you are loved? Do I hold your trust, Corn?" she continued to question. She hoped that if she used her special name for him he would be able to hold himself together more. She knew she had to approach this situation gently, she had to figure out the parts where the psychological poison, the dark spell, had affected Kuon.

"Y-Yes," he nodded as he watched her.

Kyoko smiled, "then trust me that I'm not going to allow you to be hurt and I'm not going to allow you to ruin your reputation and acting career and be the monster that they want to make you. I know you've done everything to help me and everything to take care of me, but now I need to take care of you."

She watched the way he looked at her and felt his hand reach out to touch her. She knew that he might snap or lose it and that she would get hurt, but she didn't want to flinch away. If she showed fear of him then what could she say about trust? There was that old fairytale wasn't there, Beauty and the Beast.

Beauty wasn't scared of the beast when she got to know him and accept him and she had already accepted all of her husband. Kyoko smiled as she felt the way his shaking hand ran through her hair and he let his thumb slide over her cheek.

"There's my strong, Kuon" she said as she put a hand onto his to hold it to her cheek. "My brave, beautiful, Corn" she said. She was glad he had seemed to calm down. She just had to think about this as if it was a story or get into a character. The hospital had managed to stabilize Kuon physically and she had stabilized him mentally now too.

At least, she would have were it not for the noise at the door.

"Kyoko, I brought you…" Kuu said before seeing Kuon awake and smiled. His smile quickly faded a few moments later.

"Get the hell out of here," Kuon whispered bitterly, his eyes now showing a sign of danger. "Did you ever think I'd love you. An overbearing actor who is a worthless father, a worthless individual," he said before smiling cruelly. "You think I'd ever," Kyoko shivered as she heard that unstable laugh again, "love you."

She was going to say something to stop him but before she knew what was happening, Kuon had sent the IV flying and was tearing out the drip they had in his arm. "You think the world revolves around you Shuuhei" he said with such darkness in his eyes.

Kuu tried to put his arm around Kyoko to hold her back, but Kyoko made her way over to the bed and jumped on top of it, she pushed Kuon down with one hand to his chest.

"I know you're hurt," she told him, "but you have to stop this" she felt her tears run down her face and drop onto him as he looked at her completely startled about what he had said. "You love your father, Kuon. You love Kuu. You always tell me how much your father has always meant to you. You're not saying the words you mean. Please don't do that."

"Kyoko?" Kuu asked as he stared at the two of them. He had seen so much pain in his son's eyes, an almost possessed expression, some kind of dark evil. "Kuon, no matter what you say to me, you're my son, I love you, I'm…"

"I'm sorry," Kyoko said as she looked back at Kuu, she placed her hands over Kuon's wrists. She knew he could throw her off of him at any moment, but she had to try. "With all due respect father, get out of here" she said with her own anger inside.

None of this was Kuu's fault, but she knew that Kuon would never forgive himself if anything were to happen and whereas she could forgive him, she wouldn't forgive herself if she didn't stop him.

"Kyoko, are you safe-" Kuu asked nervously as Kyoko's gaze narrowed.

"I said get out. I love you father, but get out. I've got this," Kyoko said. She took a few more deep breaths and watched Kuu as he backed out of the room. When he was gone, she got off of her husband. "Did that hurt you?" she asked.

"Saying that to him, of course," Kuon told her as he watched her.

"What I did though, it was okay?" Kyoko repeated. She felt so sorry for him, somehow she was the exception to the rules but even when she had her Pandora box open, it was only Shotaro who had been on the other end of her hatred. This kind of thing that Kuon was going through was worse, was there even a focus point for these demons?

"Yeah," the blond nodded, "It was fine."

Kyoko slowly returned to her seat, she closed her eyes and tried to take steady breaths whilst also being alert in case there was any change in Kuon. "So, we need to make sure that Kuon Hizuri is okay," she mused, "but Kuon Hizuri is having psychological problems and is behaving very very strangely and very very dangerously," she mused.

Kuon looked at her, "Do I get to speak too?" he asked.

"Well, we'll just have to separate the two. You know how you didn't want to be associated with your father anymore and you turned into Ren Tsuruga because you felt really stuck. Well, maybe for a little bit you could become somebody else. That way you can try to get all of the pain you've experienced out of you and return as the legendary actor."

Kuon sighed, "You're using this as the way to keep me away from you?" he asked.

Kyoko frowned and looked towards her husband confused, "What made you think that I wasn't going to come?" she asked.

"If you come then how do I not get found out as Kuon Hizuri?" he asked her trying to steady his own breaths this time and keep his eyes closed. "My parents weren't in touch with Ren Tsuruga until Dark Moon gave my father a reason to be."

"Well, I was hoping to ask the president if I could get a new identity too. You know, like when I was Setsuka Heel and you were Cain Heel. I thought I acted pretty well back then," the woman said as she looked up to the ceiling. "I hate to leave Kou and Kaguya, but I was thinking that if it wasn't for too long a time we could ask your parents to take care of them."

Kyoko looked towards her husband again. There would be a lot they'd need to take care of to make this work. For instance, Kuon's wounds would have to be treated elsewhere and they'd have to make sure that the hospital staff stuck to the confidentiality agreement, maybe even draw up another. Then they'd have to figure out what to do with their house and their jobs, of course she had just died so that might make it easier. They would have to really commit to doing this, but at least they'd be together.

"You want me to pose as your brother?" Kuon asked before watching her.

Kyoko raised an eyebrow, "That won't do, I'll have to appear as your wife. That way we can be together and figure out how to cure you and why these people want you. I just think that if you go back out there as Kuon Hizuri, your career will be destroyed. As someone who had helped with the role of your manager a few times now, and also as someone who calls themselves Kuon Hizuri's wife, I vow that I will not allow your career to be something you can't return to comfortably."

Kyoko had stood up as she had said that and had a hand on her heart showing the deep level of loyalty she held towards her husband.

She paused for a moment before hearing him smile and laugh in the way that melted her heart.

"I guess, it's a decent place to start," he told her.

….

….

 _Kyoko grinned happily as she watched her fiancée have his hair dyed. This was going to be the first time she saw the transformation in process and she was extremely excited about it. She had even brought her own camera to take pictures of him and the way he could start off as Ren Tsuruga and end up as Kuon Hizuri. It was also good for her because this would be the coming out press conference. They had even thought up ideas together for Ren's funeral._

" _You can move you know," Kuon said to the girl watching him with stars in her eyes. "Come on, Kyoko, this must not be very exciting for you."_

" _It's magic." Kyoko grinned, "The brown to the blond, it's just like magic."_

" _It's just like hair dye," he said, "and I know that you know what hair dye is,"_

 _Kyoko grinned, "You're so lucky to have magically golden hair, Kuon. I can't believe you chose not to have it that way all the time, you're so lucky just like one of those European princes."_

" _You mean, American?" Kuon asked, "Come on, the smell must be making you sick. You don't have to be here," he reached out to her, "You're not going to move until it's done are you?"_

 _Kyoko shook her head, "Nope. I want to see the magical color change and yes, I did mean American. My future husband is part American."_

" _Well, if you're not going to leave," Kuon smiled, "You are going to have to stay here talking to me."_

" _I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," Kyoko replied with a wide grin as she saw a glimmer of blond. "This is so exciting," she said as he laughed just seeing her joy._


	9. Chapter 9 - A Dad Protects His Son

**Author Note:** I'm really feeling at a low point in my life right now so I thought I'd write this, I also feel like I owe it to you guys to do this chapter. So, I think everyone has noticed my kind of format, usually two scenes in the present and then one memory between Kuon and Kyoko during their time together. Well, this one is going to be a little different and you'll find out why.

Also, unless this chapter gets a ton of attention, I'm going to take the next week and work on 'Secrets' and 'Just Like a Fairytale' to give them the attention they deserve as well.

I hope you enjoy.

 **Chapter Nine – A Dad Protects his Son**

" _He's a really good actor, but his son's a complete freak" one of the cameramen of the drama that Kuu was starring in gossiped to the other coworkers. "The kid is seriously weird. He's creepy. The way he just watches everything and gets really excited about it. Why isn't he playing with the other kids? They probably know he's weird."_

 _Kuu put his hand on the seven year old Kuon's shoulder as he saw his son look back at the man saying these things. He felt Kuon shiver before turning back and smiling at him. "I'm okay," he said although Kuu doubted it._

 _He crouched down and wrapped his arms around the little boy. "Don't listen to them, okay?" he said as he tried to smile to his little boy. "You know how much we love you and you do have friends, don't let them affect you."_

 _Kuon nodded before crying into his dad's chest._

" _His father probably buys any friend that he has. He thinks he's a great actor but does he even love that freak. I think he'd be better getting rid of him," the cameraman, an obviously jealous man, said._

" _I'll be right back, okay?" Kuu asked his son. He turned around with a flame burning in his eyes, "How dare you!" he snapped at the man. "Say whatever you want about me, but leave my kid out of it. I don't care how many spineless things you say about me or my acting, but not my son."_

" _What?" the cameraman said, "I'm only telling the truth."_

" _And I'm telling the truth when I say that if you continue saying this about my son, a seven year old, I'm going to make your career as small as your intelligence," he said his eyes narrowing. "You'll never work in Hollywood again. I'm giving you a warning, but you dare say those things about my son, you'll be sorry you ever crossed paths with the Hizuri family," Kuu warned before creating a fist. "Do I make myself clear?"_

 _Kuon stared back at his father. It made him feel better just how protective his dad was, he never knew that his dad had the power to really bar anyone from the film industry._

….

….

Kuu felt exhausted as he came back to the home that Kuon and Kyoko had created. He had taken some time to think, going to a few places including the grocery store. He had wanted to remain at the hospital, but Kyoko was right, his son had been driven insane by the torture he had gone through. There had to be something that he could do. Kuon had worked so hard, he couldn't have his dreams stolen from him.

As he made his way to the house, he heard someone behind him. He quickly turned around to face a man he had almost forgotten. This had been a cameraman who had always spoken ill of his son. When the man had placed a finger on his kid, Kuu had made sure no one hired him again.

He had no idea why, after all these years, this man would be here in Japan.

"Hello?" he asked nervously, "Can I help you with something?"

"You mean, you want to help my career?" the man laughed, "You're a joke. You _ended_ my career and for what, a bratty kid."

"You mean my son?" Kuu asked, "If you're a parent now, you know how important your child can be."

"Well," the man grinned as he walked closer to Kuu so they could see each other clearly, "Since you're an actor you know how much a career means to you. You know how you can only get that joy doing something that you love that much. You took away the thing that I loved doing."

"And you touched my child," Kuu said, "You didn't think I'd let you get away with hitting him. I don't know why you always hated Kuon, he never did anything bad to you."

"Perhaps," the man said with a shrug, "but is that enough of a reason to take away what matters most to a person."

Kuu blinked, "I would think so," he argued. "Is that why you're here, to remind me that I prioritized my kid?"

"No." The man smiled coldly, cruelly, "I came to tell you that I finally got even, well in a few minutes I'll be even with you. You destroyed what mattered most to me so I'm destroying what matters most to you, at least in a few minutes it will be ruined."

Kuu rolled his eyes, "My career is solid and untouchable. I doubt that anything you do can take that away from me. Listen, maybe I acted rashly back then, but as a father I had to protect my son. I douby you can destroy my acting career." He paused before seeing the guy laughing.

"When did I say anything about your acting career?" the man argued, "I said that I destroyed what mattered most to you."

Kuu felt his stomach sink in. What was this man talking about? Feeling the thoughts in his head click and his body heat up, before he knew it he had punched the other man in the face. "You monster!" he snapped at him, "You took pleasure in doing that to my kid!" he felt everything grow inside of him. He remembered how Kuon had seemed to have lost his mind, he thought about all the wounds his son had endured. Was it all because of this?

"I must tell you," the man smiled as he touched his mouth where Kuu had struck him. "I did enjoy every moment of hearing him scream and cry. You took away something extremely valuable to me, I couldn't just let that go."

Kuu glared at the man, his hatred becoming deeper. "You're not going to get away with this," he growled, "using my daughter in law as bait, torturing my son to the point of him breaking."

"But he isn't broken, at least not for the next ten minutes," he smirked making Kuu's blood run colder.

"What do you mean by that" he shook. Kyoko, he had to call Kyoko and make sure she was updated on this information. He placed a foot on the man in front of him to prevent him from moving as he placed a very important phone call.

"Father?" Kyoko asked in surprise as she answered the phone, "Is this important?"

"Very," Kuu replied. "I need you to tell me exactly what Kuon is doing and how he's feeling right now."

Kuu felt nervous as he heard silence. There shouldn't be silence. He could understand if Kuon was sleeping, but then why wouldn't Kyoko just tell him directly.

"That's a little hard. I'm waiting for the president," she said, "Lory said he'd meet with me."

Kuu's eyes widened. "You're not at the hospital?" he asked desperately.

"No," Kyoko said quickly, "I only left for a moment."

Kuu dropped the phone after he had heard those words. Oh god! He quickly picked the phone up and kicked the man in front of him, "I swear if you've hurt him again," he threatened the man before going to the car he had rented and drove off to the hospital.

….

….

 _Kuu was too late. He hadn't seen very much, but he had seen a man who hated him hit his son and he had seen his beloved little boy crash onto the ground. Did this man hate him that much to actually attack his kid. Kuon hadn't done anything wrong. His only crime was being Kuu's son._

" _Kuon," he said as he forgot that he hadn't finished the scene. He scooped the little boy into his lap before looking him over. "Does it hurt?" he asked._

" _No," the boy said bravely but Kuu could see the bruises where Kuon had fallen and where he had been hit. "I'm fi-fine" he struggled to say._

 _Kuu frowned, "It's okay to cry and not be brave," he told him, "there are times I'm not brave or strong. Here, let's get you cleaned up."_

" _But Daddy hasn't finished the scene," Kuon argued, "You need to finish it and do a good job. Mommy said so."_

" _Well, the director already called cut so we have some time," he picked his son up and held him tight. As he passed the man who had attacked his son he glared at him, "You will never forget what you did and you will never be forgiven."_

….

….

Kuu rushed into the hospital only to find Kyoko rush in at the same time. He looked at her in complete panic. Maybe he should have said what he had just found out, but it could wait. According to that man, he didn't have much time to save Kuon. He had to stop his son from losing his sanity. Kuon was far too valuable to him.

Kyoko nodded to him as they both ran to the room only to find a blonde woman sticking a needle into him. It looked as if she had injected four of them into his body already. Kuu looked in shock at the girl as Kyoko felt her demons grow inside of her.

Running forward, Kyoko pulled the girl off of Kuon and threw her to the ground. Kuu stood speechless as he watched the two fight one another and soon the blonde was unconscious on the ground. Whilst they had been fighting however, Kuu made his way to look into his son's eyes.

He was surprised to see Kuon just staring at his hand and laughing.

"It's all ending," Kuon seemed to giggle, "The world is ending. It's all going away," he said in a strange manner.

Kuu crouched down in front of his son but it was as if no matter how near he got, Kuon wouldn't return eye contact with him.

"The fireworks look so pretty. Can we go see them, daddy?" he asked as Kuu placed a hand on his son's shoulder.

Maybe he could break Kuon out of this trance. Maybe he was just thinking, trying to find a safety in some happy thoughts. Kuu tried to get Kuon to look at him by gently moving his chin. He backed away slightly as he saw Kuon squirm uncomfortably and he stopped touching him.

"Kuon, look at me," Kyoko said as she took some steps closer. "Can you look at me?" she asked. She was scared when he didn't answer her and just stared at his hand. "Corn?" she asked only to get no response.

Sharing a terrified look with her father, Kyoko tried again to have Kuon listen to her, look at her, convince them that he was alright. She was scared when he giggled and curled tight into a ball. She got around to the side where Kuu was and looked at him. She saw the madness in his eyes but it wasn't anger, it was just that he didn't look like he was in this world anymore.

"Kuon," Kuu said as he looked into his son's eyes. This was the look of a madman, he tried to touch Kuon again, he tried to comfort the beloved son but Kuon didn't move. The giggle came back which only put Kuu on edge again. "Kuon, do you remember who you are? You're Kuon Hizuri. I'm your father and Kyoko here is your wife. You're a world class actor, far better than I was," he said.

Kuon didn't respond, he just laughed which made Kyoko start to cry.

That man had done it, he had taken one of the most important people in Kuu's life and destroyed him. Kuon was destroyed, but maybe, just maybe they could get the pieces back together again.


	10. Chapter 10 - Unconditionally

**Author Note:** Thank you for all of your support in reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following

 **Chapter Ten - Unconditionally**

Julie had finally been allowed to visit the hospital on the day after the girl had injected Kuon with whatever she had done. The girl had been brought in for questioning by the police but not before Kyoko had taken away one of the needles as well as taken photos of the documents.

Kuon still needed to be in the hospital because he was hurt, but since that day nobody had been able to get through to him. It was heartbreaking to everyone and this time, Julie had been allowed to watch her son. Lory had already scheduled security to protect the hospital room so it was safe for him. Julie put a hand on her son's forehead and ran her thumb through his hair.

"Hey baby," she said as she looked at him. "You feel like coming out to talk to us."

She lightly kissed his forehead and drew back seeing his blank stare ahead of him. She wanted to see her Kuon, she wanted to talk to him and hold him. He was too broken for that, they had hurt him too badly for that. "I love you so much, my darling" she said as tears filled her eyes.

She was surprised when Kuon met her gaze and reached out to hold her hand.

He gently squeezed it before running his thumb over the back of it and Julie put her other to her mouth to hide a gasp. Kyoko had told her how Kuon had done this a few times to her when she had last been with him, but he wouldn't speak. Julie never thought that she would be as lucky as Kyoko.

She gazed at him seeing how helpless he looked. "Hey, my sweet Kuon," she said softly. "It's good to see you," she said before gently running her fingers through his hair again. "I'm really glad that you're fighting," she said as tears rolled down her face, she saw her son try to touch her cheek and take care of her, still not saying anything. Julie pulled back and watched him put his hand back on the bed.

"It's okay," she said quickly, "I'm okay," she said trying to get control of herself. "Don't worry about me, I'm just, you know how emotional I can get," she tried to laugh it off.

"M-Mom," she heard him speak and her eyes widened before her smile widened just as much. Neither her husband nor her daughter had told her that he had spoken. In fact, Kyoko had paced around in figure eights for a while last night just saying how she wanted to find a way to get him comfortable with speaking.

"Yes, my darling?" Julie said immediately. She saw Kuon recoil in fear and nodded, "Do you want me to get Kyoko?" she asked as he nodded. "Alright, I'll phone her. My dear little boy," she said before covering her mouth to hide a sob, "thank you for being so strong for all of us. We love you very much, please remember that"

She smiled as she saw him nod nervously and left the room.

"Watch him," she told the guards a protective look in her eyes. She picked up the phone, she wanted to tell Kuu immediately and hear the relief in his voice, but she knew it was better to phone her son's wife. He needed to be with her right now.

"Julie?" Kyoko answered the phone, feeling her stomach tighten, "Is something…what's wrong?" she asked terrified. She had been losing sleep and concentration with all of her worry about her husband, the man she loved and adored more than anyone else.

"He spoke," Julie said with a soft sob, "He spoke and he moved, he touched my face, he looked at me."

The size of Kyoko's grin could be seen just by hearing her loud and excited voice, "He did!?" she asked happily. "He's okay? He's getting better?" she asked. She didn't care if her husband was now deemed legally insane, she loved him. If he was fighting to get better then she wasn't going to dwell on how he was, it was more exciting to think of how he could be.

"I need to find someone to take care of the kids, but after that I'll come immediately," Kyoko laughed in relief.

"Thank you, he'll want to see you," Julie smiled.

"Just… please remind him that I love him, remind him how much I love him," Kyoko said quickly. "I'll be there very soon."

Julie smiled as she ended the call with Kyoko. She had one more call to make and then she would be able to go back into her son's room and be with him.

…..

…..

 _Kyoko looked up at her husband as he came into the kitchen. Her husband had the flu and he'd been sick for about a week at this point. This wasn't the first time she had made some of her 'get Kuon better' concoctions for this illness. She just hoped he would be able to act again soon. She knew how much he disliked taking time off._

 _If she hadn't have been his wife, he never would have listened to her._

" _You should get to work," he coughed, "I'm fine taking care of myself, I'm not a little kid."_

 _Kyoko stared at him, "I took a vow," she tried to remind him. "Aren't the traditional words to love you in sickness and in health," she said. "Now, I'm taking care of you now you're sick."_

" _Which shouldn't get in the way of work," Kuon tried to argue._

 _Kyoko smiled, "If they have a problem with me rescheduling to take care of my husband, they should have told me when I did so. Acting has always meant a lot to me, but now I have something that matters more."_

" _Really?" Kuon smiled, "It's not revenge is it?" he joked._

" _It's you, you fool," she laughed happily._

….

….

"If you want to get him sent away to a hospital, I can arrange that" Lory told Kuu who was staring at the floor feeling a full wave of guilt wash over him. Kuu didn't really know what was going on with his son, but he had once again sought out his friend for advice. This was the man who had saved Kuon in the past, maybe he could help him this time too.

"I don't want that," Kuu said as he closed his eyes and put his hands to his forehead, fingers intertwined. "I am responsible for my son being this way, I need to get him help but I want to do it myself. He's my kid, I wasn't able to help him last time but this time I need to. I'll do anything I can to help him get better, I just need to know what to do."

"and you're saying that he really has lost it?" Lory asked, "Well I can try to make sure the media doesn't get a hold of this scandal. I can make a few calls and make sure he's protected in that way, but maybe you're being selfish."

Kuu sighed loudly but shook his head, "Maybe, but there's nothing that a hospital can do that I wouldn't be willing to do for him. Just hearing that that man tried to get back at me through my son, that means that it's my fault. It's my fault that my son is now mentally unstable."

"Just for my knowledge as president of this agency, when you say that he's lost it how bad are we talking about?" Lory asked as he tried to relax himself. Somehow, Kuon was always the one he was worried about, but then Kuon and Kyoko were most likely the two people within the agency he loved the most.

"He's lost it. First he was violent, unable to stop yelling, terrifying and now he's unresponsive apart from these giggles. I can't do anything for him right now, but I want to so badly," Kuu tried to explain. "I just need someone to tell me what to do."

"Be with him," Lory said as Kuu blinked.

"That's it, that's all the advice that you can give me?" Kuu looked up terrified. "You can say more like get him this or that or do this or that, there's nothing else you can tell me."

"Be with him," Lory repeated. "That's all you need to do. You'll know -"

Lory frowned as Kuu's phone rang, the frown only deepened when Kuu took the call. He watched the look on the man's face go from depression to excitement.

"He really touched you and he said mom?" he asked excitedly, "with eye contact and everything?"

Kuu's hand shook as he held the phone, his eyes lighting up. "Do you think he wants to see me?" he asked. He grinned more as he heard Julie's response, "thanks, I love you," he said before ending the call. He looked back at Lory but before he could say anything Lory was smiling too.

"Go and see him," he nodded, "I'll look into the cameraman and see if there's anything else going on there, I'll also make sure the media doesn't report on this until the family is ready. Go and see your son and give him my best, tell Kyoko I'm here if either one of them needs me."

Kuu grinned before making his way to the hospital.

….

….

Kyoko smiled widely as she came into her husband's room. She had asked Kanae to look after the kids for a little while, fortunately she was on a break from her acting role so could spend a few hours with them. Kyoko was definitely going to have to make it up to her, but Moko just seemed so happy to have her friend back in her life. She had been hit lightly though because of how much pain she had put her friend through despite it not being her fault.

She looked at her husband, he was still injured, still unsure, but he was actually awake and conscious as to what was going on. His modeling career was over but maybe there was still some hope for his acting career.

"Kuon," she smiled as she came to crouch down in front of him to make eye contact, "You had me so worried, you jerk" she said with tears in her eyes.

"H-Hey," he said quietly before she kissed him and then drew back.

"You have no idea how scared I've been," she said as she saw that there was still that brokenness in his eyes.

"I was scared too when you…died," he said as he reached out to touch her cheek. "I'm happy…you're here."

Kyoko nodded before kneeling down in front of him, she took deep breaths in. She was glad he seemed to be at a calm and sane place. She just didn't know if he was having any further psychological problems, she'd have to learn about that. She closed her eyes. "You can make fun of me, but I made wishes to the fairy kingdom that you'd return to me. It was my biggest wish. I think it's because of the magic that you're here now, talking, moving. I am very thankful for that magic, Corn."

Kuon laughed a little, his eyes still showing all the depths of his sadness, "The fairy magic?" he asked trying to clarify. His eyes widened in surprise at the way that Kyoko immediately shook her head.

"No," she smiled to him. "The fairies can only do so much. They can help but they are not my fairy prince who knows real magic." Kyoko put a hand to her heart, "Corn's magic comes from inside his kind and open heart. Corn is always a prince of fairy kingdom, but Corn is my Kuon. That's the real magic, your magic, you fought for us, for me, and that's why you're here."

She reached out to touch his forehead and saw him flinch away, she quickly pulled back afraid that she'd hurt him.

"You have magic too," the actor tried to remind her, "and I'm sorry," he reached for her hand, "I'm not…my mind is different, I can't promise you that I'm better and that I've recovered. I'm not your same sane Kuon or your fairy prince anymore," he said as she stubbornly shook her head.

"I promise you, we will get through that as a team. It doesn't matter what problems you have, you are always my Kuon, my Corn, my Ren, and whoever else you want to be. Don't confuse me with one of those stupid girls who backs down whenever things get hard in a relationship. Don't think I'm the same fool to wait around for Fuwa or any other guy without acting on the situation. I fell in love with _you_ because you gave me the freedom to do those things."

Kyoko looked down before she made eye contact with the man she loved again. "I really thought that girls who devoted their hearts to a person and wanted to love were stupid. For the longest time I thought that because I had two guys around me who were creeps, that I wouldn't be able to be with someone in that fairytale romance way.

Then I fell in love with my kind and wonderful senpai, my mentor, my role model. I always looked up to him but he would always make sure I stayed on the right and noble pathway to my dreams. He helped me recover when my first kiss was stolen. He helped me create new roles when I was scared. He even made sure I wasn't fired from my first role in a drama when I ran off and completely altered the character. He protected more than my heart but my acting career, he protected me, it's now my privilege and honor to protect him.

So, even if the world thinks you're mentally unstable, I don't. I watched the joy in you when you became my boyfriend, when I accepted your proposal, when I walked down the aisle and said yes to marrying you, when you became a father to a little boy and little girl. I saw that joy in you and it continues to be sacred to me every day of my life. So, no, whatever you're going through, Kuon, I love you. I mean that _whatever_ you're going through I love you unconditionally. Stopping that is one thousand times more impossible than anything else in this life."

Kyoko continued to kneel down in front of him, she had the same determination in her eyes as she had towards any of the roles she had played, but to a much higher degree. Kuon reached out a hand and touched her cheek before leading her towards him.

"Thank you," he smiled before kissing her a few times.

"You're welcome," she grinned back, happy to have her husband back again.


	11. Chapter 11 - Show Me Who You Are

**Chapter Eleven – Show me who you are**

 _Kyoko looked up at her fiancé as he came into the room. She knew he was nervous about something, but she was scared what it would be. She was glad that he had allowed her to move in with him though, this way she got to see all the different sides of Kuon Hizuri._

" _So," Kuon said nervously, "There's something that I'm not telling you," he said as she watched him pace back and forth. "I probably should have…"_

" _Okay." Kyoko nodded wondering if he was going to tell her that he had a third identity, or was it fourth. "What is it?" she looked at him trying to calculate everything from the way he was moving to the different tones in his voice to his eyes._

" _My parents are coming to visit. As soon as they knew that Japan accepted me as Kuon Hizuri, my dad booked up flights to come out here. I was in such a shock, I haven't seen my parents for a long time or at least my mother, and…" Kuon looked up to see Kyoko's huge excited grin._

" _Kuu's coming?" she asked excitedly, "Father's coming to visit that's so exciting. I'll have to make sure to get him all the food that he needs and I get to meet Julienna as well?" Kyoko seemed to levitate over to him in her excitement. "Are you sure I look okay to see them?"_

" _You're fine," Kuon laughed. "I don't know who's more excited, you or them," he smiled to her before feeling her hug him._

" _I'm so proud to be engaged to their son, do you think she'll like me?" Kyoko asked nervously._

" _She'll love you as much as my dad does. I don't think anyone could love you as much as I do though," he grinned to her as Kyoko felt her excitement light up her whole body. Kuu was coming!_

….

….

"I am so sorry about before, father" Kyoko bowed to her father in law as they stood outside Kuon's hospital room. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. I just didn't want you to get hurt and I needed to make sure he didn't get hurt as well. I am so very sorry," she apologized.

Kuu smiled and placed a comforting hand on her head, "You do know that you never have to apologize to me," he told her. "I'm so glad you're alright, Kyoko. In case I haven't said that I am so relieved that you're not dead and you're here with us. Maybe my attention has been too focused o-"

"Father," Kyoko said as she looked up at him. "I would have been disappointed in you if your attention had not been towards Kuon. I have always known you to be an adoring father and he has needed you. I slightly remember him offering his life but only at the exchange of my own. That is someone noble and deserving of your care. I would have been very disappointed in you had you not shown such care and concern."

Kuu blinked before nodding, "You are always so direct and honest. I've always admired that about you," he said before hugging her. As he ended the hug, he looked at her, "He's okay with seeing me right?"

"Father, I think that he would be thrilled to see you. You need to take into account his injuries however, the deep burns and bruises and gashes and stab wounds have been bandaged up but you need to control your emotions when the bandages are removed." She looked down and took a deep breath, "If because of you, Kuon is ashamed of his appearance, I will not allow you to see him again."

Kuu nodded with a light smile, "I promise. I love my son dearly, you don't need to worry about that."

Kyoko took a step away from the door, she knew that Kuon had asked to speak to Kuu privately, she just hoped that it would be for a good reason. She hoped that whatever conversation the two of them shared, that it would be a good one with benefits on both side.

Inside the room, Kuu made soft steps over to his sleeping son. He could already see the charred hair next to one of the bandages where he was assuming there was a burn. He could see how much stress his son had been under, how much trauma and as much as it broke his heart, he had to keep strong for his little boy.

He sat down opposite him, watching the struggled breaths and the nerves that came from a nightmare. He didn't know how he could get his son to forgive him for what had happened to him. He had no idea of how he could make the injuries better or make Kuon better. He just had to hope for the best.

After a while, he heard his son waking up and put down the entertainment magazine he had picked up. "D-Dad?" he heard Kuon ask and immediately, Kuu sat up straighter.

"Yes," he nodded as he saw Kuon struggle to sit up. He immediately went towards him and tried to help him settle down again, the doctor had told them to limit movement right now. "Does something hurt?" he asked with shaking hands, "Kuon, do you need me to….do you want me to do anything?" he asked knowing how his son never wanted to be seen as helpless.

"It's okay," Kuon said with a light laugh as he looked at his father. "C-can I ask you something?" he asked as he tried to roll to his back a little bit.

Kuu felt his body tense but then he let it go and his face softened, "Sure," he nodded, "you can ask me anything you want."

Kuu tried to calm his mind, he was scared of what his son would ask him. He was never expecting the question that did exit Kuon's lips.

"Did you ever love me?" Kuon asked as Kuu's eyes snapped open.

"Of course I love you," he said looking down to try to steady himself. "I mean, I don't think I ever managed to show you how much I love you, have always loved you, will always love you. Kuon, you are one of the two most important people in my life. If I could have done anything for you I would have, that's why I asked for you to have a chance in Japan. I have always loved my son, no matter what he did or what he went through. I love you. I've loved you since the time I was told that I was going to be a father, I loved you when I first held you in my arms. I loved you when I brought you up. I loved you when all of that trouble happened during your teenage years. I loved you as Ren Tsuruga and I love you now.

You're not insane. You may be bent or out of shape right now, but I don't consider you to be unable to live the life you want. I always have belief in my son, my one and only biological son." Kuu looked down depressed, "Have I done something to make you question that and not believe it anymore?"

Kuon closed his eyes, "I was just…they told me that I…that in your mind I was your worst mistake," he admitted.

Kuu looked at his son horrified, so the people who had tortured him, put him through this living hell had said that to him. They had tried to convince him of that. He didn't really know what to say.

"I value you and being your father much more than I value being an actor," Kuu said. He hoped that since his son had followed in the same profession that he would understand that. "I would rather have my acting career fail than lose my son."

"Even if I am crazy?" Kuon asked as he looked at his hand again.

Kuu reached out and held the hand which made Kuon look at him instead. "You are my son. You will always be my son. I will always love my son. Even if you are different inside, even if your brain has been altered to a degree where it won't return to normal, even if you have lost confidence in yourself, please remember those two things. You, Kuon Hizuri, are the son of Kuu Hizuri and Julienna Hizuri. We, and I can speak for both of us, will always love our son."

"D-D-Dad," Kuon whispered as he felt tears in his eyes, "I am really sorry."

Before Kuu could open his mouth to argue, Kuon managed to speak again. "I'm scared. I am really scared, my brain isn't…acting normally and I'm acting. I'm acting that I'm okay." He looked up, "I'm not okay. I'm terrified to let Kyoko know though. I'm terrified that at some point, acting like I am okay will be too hard and she'll see the ways in which I've changed."

"So you're saying, right now you're still trying to act?" Kuu asked. He had seen his son crack before but he had just thought that he had clicked back to normal. Still, this made sense. It made sense that he had gotten violent and then gone through some kind of catatonia before seeming perfectly fine. It was because right now it was an act and Kuu was scared to see what was underneath."

"If I stop acting," Kuon said before giving that little giggle, "Then I'll be alone."

Kuu took a deep breath in, he had to face the fear of what Kuon had become or rather who he had become. He knew that his son had a lot of self-control and the fact that that giggle had happened again only showed the fight that Kuon was going through inside. "Kuon, I need you to look at me," he said strongly as he saw his son nod nervously. "I understand that you're scared of other people seeing you break, of seeing you lose your sanity, but I promise that I will take care of you. You can show me all of the unstableness inside your mind and I will still be here. I will make sure that you don't hurt yourself or anyone else. I promise, I will not let you be alone so just rely on me, alright? Even if you don't tell Kyoko, which I think you should since I believe she'd understand, rely on me. I'll make sure that you're safe and do my best to make sure you're as happy and healthy as possible."

"A-and if they take me away again?" Kuon asked as Kuu could see him letting that fear and the post traumatic stress come out a little more. "I can't go there…"

"Kuon, I promise you. I will not let them take you away again. I am not going to let you be alone. Look at me, you are _my_ son, I have the honor of taking care of you. Over my dead body are they going to take you again," Kuu said with a deep breath in.

"I…" Kuon said nervously, "want to go back to America."

Kuu nodded as he looked down. He knew that his son needed to stay at the hospital until they felt confident enough in him to release him. He knew that it would take time, but at the same time he could set things up. Make sure to get the security and help that his son needed. Right now, no matter what Kuon asked him, if it was for his son's own good he would do it.

"You should tell Kyoko. I can back you up on it, but I doubt that she'll argue. We all want what is best for you," Kuu said. "Kuon, you trust me right? You trust me that I want to protect you and take care of you? You know that I love you, don't you?" he asked nervously. He knew that before all of this happened his son was fully confident in those facts, but Kuu didn't know how much brain washing had taken place during his kid's captivity.

"I do, you're my dad. You've always been my hero," Kuon nodded as he closed his eyes.

"I will never let anyone hurt you like this again. I promise," Kuu said with the same determination in his eyes that both of his children had carried.


	12. Chapter 12 - Breakage

**Chapter Twelve - Breakage**

Kyoko smiled softly as she sat in her own bed with Kuon's head on her lap. She loved holding him like this and letting her fingers run through his hair, although she had to be careful with his injuries. Somehow the burn that was on the right side of his forehead had become infected and there was now damage on his cheek both on the outside and to the nerves below.

Certain alignments in his body didn't seem correct either as if he had been forced into a cramped environment for too long – with his tall frame it was very possible – and he struggled to stand and move at times, she had already developed a method of how to catch him despite the size difference.

Even now, he was having a nightmare and she was trying to figure out the best way of calming him down. Although Kuon insisted on using the words crazy and insane, she had agreed with Kuu that Kuon was facing depression and anxiety that were part of post-traumatic stress.

She didn't know how to get her husband out into the sunlight anymore, but at least she could keep him safe in the dim light that might come from a candle. She smiled as she let her fingers graze through his blond strands. "You know," she laughed talking to herself more than him, "You were the first person to ever let me cry. You were the first person to listen to me and understand me. I'm so relieved that our paths met, that we met up again, that you let me fall in love with you. Right now, imagining a world where I'm separated from you is my biggest fear. I can't believe it used to be falling in love, now it's not having that love."

She leaned down and kissed him very gently on the uninjured part of his forehead. "Thank you, Corn."

She really admired his strength. Even going through what he went through, the first night he had agreed to spend some time with his kids and had read Kou his favorite book. She knew how afraid he was inside, but he was a wonderful daddy. She was happy that they hadn't taken away that aspect of him.

She smiled a little as she felt him move and look up at her,

"Hey?" he asked as he looked at her, "Have I kept you here for a long time?" he asked, "Sorry, didn't know that I'd actually fall asleep," he apologized.

"I could sit here for much longer," Kyoko grinned to him happily. "It's been a while since we've both been in the house together. The kids are so happy that you're back," she said, "I'm so happy that you're home."

Kuon nodded before getting up slowly and carefully, he caught his reflection in the mirror of the expensive vanity table he had given Kyoko for one of her birthdays and froze. He looked at the scarring on his face and he started shaking. Reflections were something he couldn't deal with. He backed away until he was sitting silently on the side of the bed.

"No," he whispered, "no…." his eyes glazed over which always worried Kyoko, "no, how dare you hurt her! She's perfect! How dare you!" he yelled before his hand reached out and he knocked over a vase of flowers nearby.

Kyoko's eyes widened as she saw that his hand had been cut and he still wasn't breaking out of this state. She didn't know what to attend to first, her heart beat was growing quicker and more intense inside of her chest.

She looked down at the broken glass then she looked at her husband's cut hand and then she looked at his face. The part she hated was seeing that inner turmoil, she quickly grabbed her husband and pulled him to her. "Close your eyes," she directed quickly as he did so.

She held him closer as she ran her hand through his hair whilst holding him close, "Deep breaths okay, my prince," she said, "follow my breaths. Oh my sweet corn," she said, a pet name she used when she really needed to comfort him. "I'm telling you Corn, don't move until you're ready or I'll get very very upset."

She held him feeling him break down inside and felt her heart break feeling him start to physically cry. After a while he had pulled away and she looked into his broken eyes. She grabbed his hand as she noticed that he looked back at the vase and stood up.

"I'm so sorry," he quickly apologized as Kyoko once again was reminded of his stolen confidence, "I'll go and clean that up," he told her as he tried to get off the bed.

"No," Kyoko shook her head sternly, "You sit here, I'm going to go get you some bandages and ointment for your hand," she said as he looked down at it. Kyoko placed her hand on her husband's cheek and guided his eyes towards hers. "Are you okay?" she asked very concerned.

Kuon nodded silently, he felt ashamed of what had happened and how he hadn't been able to control it.

He watched as Kyoko left the room before looking at his hands, he started to lick the blood off of it feeling a sick and twisted kind of comfort in doing so.

….

….

 _Ren had had a late day on his acting shoot, they had gone through the scenes so quickly that more had been added on and the director was very happy to be able to film at night. Of course that meant that Ren would have to call Kyoko in the morning and explain to his girlfriend why he hadn't told her he loved her as he usually did at the end of the night._

 _Still, he had to come into the office to pick up the next copy of the script for his drama. He was also hoping to see the R Mandy pictures from his latest shoot and maybe sneak some photos on his phone for Kyoko – who always seemed to demand it -._

 _As he made his way over to the desk, he saw a figure hidden in the shadows and blinked._

" _I'm so sorry for…" he started before hearing the person crying. He looked over, "Are you alright?" he asked kindly before hearing Kyoko's voice._

" _Ren?" she asked, "I'm sorry," she said as he blinked hard._

 _What on earth was Kyoko doing just sitting down in a tight ball in this room._

" _It was the only door that was still open," she tried to explain as he came over to her and sat down, letting his arm fall around her and pulling her close to him._

" _Yes, I needed to get some things, they said they'd leave it open for me," he tried to explain before wrapping his arms around her more securely. "What is it, princess, what's wrong?" he asked as he kissed the top of her head._

" _They told me if I got any more NGs that I wouldn't be able to continue the shoot," she whispered, "everyone is talking about this movie. If I can't do it then what will happen to my career?" she asked before pushing her head into his warm chest and Kuon felt the tears soak into his shirt._

" _Well, maybe I should come with you," he said comforting her, "or maybe we could practice tonight," he heard Kyoko about to speak and cut her off, "I know what you're going to argue, that I'm a senior actor and I need my sleep since I have work too. That is true, I'm not going to deny that, but what is more important to me than my career is your career and especially you. Kyoko, we're going to practice tonight because I'm going to get a better rest if I see you smiling honestly."_

 _Kyoko laughed, "How did you know I couldn't sleep when you're upset or going through something?" she asked him as he grinned._

" _Because we're the same," he said, "so, let's get going, we've got a script to go through," he smiled as she nodded allowing him to take away her fear and her pain. He was really good at doing that._

….

….

"I'm sorry," Kyoko said as she got back onto the bed by Kuon trying to avoid the broken glass. She had seen him licking his wound but had decided not to comment on it. She knew how afraid Kuon was to show her what was underneath the denial that he wasn't alright, she wouldn't ask him or push him to tell her that yet. All she could do was support him.

"This might hurt a little at first, but we need to get the blood cleaned off," she said as she put something onto a cotton ball and started to dab away at the blood to get a clearer view of the cut. She hummed before putting a mix between a pharmacy cream and a lotion she had bought for him onto the cut hoping it would help. "Are you okay? Can you take the soreness?" she asked nervously.

"Yeah," Kuon nodded in a shaking voice, "Yes, I'm okay."

"Good," Kyoko smiled before she took the bandage and gently bandaged his hand the best that she could. She made sure to make it tight but not too tight. "Now that's done, I'm going to go get something to clean up the glass," she kissed his lips and then pulled back. "I love you," she reminded him before leaving again.

Kuon looked down at the bandage. How much work and stress was he putting her through? He knew that he had had almost a full year of taking care of her when everyone, even the two of them, had believed her to be ill, but that didn't mean she had to pay him back for that. He did it because he loved her, he should help her with this too and not force her to take care of him.

"I love you too" he called out to her and she smiled back at him before coming back with a dustpan and brush as well as something to soak up the water.

"I'm putting you through too much," he worried as she looked up at him and shook her head. "Isn't this the type of thing that Fuwa would make yo-"

"Shou Fuwa is not, nor will he ever be, my husband," Kyoko argued. "Don't you dare worry about what I'm doing _for_ you, Kuon," she said with a fire in her eyes. "You don't treat me as your house servant, you treat me as your wife, as a woman who is allowed to do anything she wants and what I want most of all is to make sure that you're alright. You have given me everything, supported me in anything I wanted to do. Right now I want to help my husband so do the great job you have always done and let me do what I choose to do," she said as she managed to get all the glass off the floor.

Kyoko smiled only a few moments later as she managed to dispose of the glass and make sure that the floor was safe and dry. She came back onto the bed and looked at the man she adored. "Every time I am able to help you, it makes me happy. _You_ make me happy. Knowing that I am with the emperor and the prince at the same time is such a blessing to me. Knowing I am with someone wonderful and magical and beautiful, yes you are still gorgeous," she said as she looked at his lips for a moment and then back into his exquisite green eyes, "is the most amazing honor I have been given. You share with me your magic every day and make me feel loved and treasured and beautiful, the only wish I have is that you know how much I love you, Kuon."

She saw him nod, the tears still in his eyes. "I think we should spend some time with the kids together," she said before taking his hand. "I know you don't want to be in Tokyo right now, so why don't we go to that forest we found near her and you can tell us all about nature and all the birds. I'm so lucky to be with a guy who is so interested and knowledgeable about nature and we all love it when you talk about the different animals."

Kuon looked down feeling happy that his wife did like that about him, it wasn't his most masculine element.

"You'd like that, right?" Kyoko asked nervously as she saw him thinking without speaking. Maybe she had said the wrong thing.

"I'd love that," he smiled as he watched her, he took in how beautiful she was inside and outside. "Thank you," she said before she snuggled closer to him.

"No, Kuon, thank you…for being my husband, for being a father. Most of all Corn, thank you for being you."


	13. Chapter 13 - In Nature

**Author Note:** Thanks for all of the support in the reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following of this fic. I hope this chapter is alright for you and that you enjoy it.

 **Chapter Thirteen – In Nature**

Kyoko grinned as she sat on a bench in the middle of the woods with her husband and son. She had requested that they spend the day as a family, but after realizing that she would have her hands full with making sure Kuon was alright and working together to take care of Kou, she had let Julie take care of Kaguya for the day.

Despite the fact that both of the grandparents were worried about their son, they had to admit that a quiet day in nature was probably a good idea. Kuon still had a little trouble moving around so they had chosen a place where there wasn't a lot of slopes or rough trails but could instead just spend the day together.

"Look!" Kou giggled as he pointed to a duck near the pond they were sitting by, "Miter Duck" he grinned happily.

"Yeah," Kuon smiled as he looked at his child. "It's just like the duck in your book, isn't it?" he smiled at the little boy as Kyoko took a moment to watch the interaction. She was very glad that despite everything that he had gone through, Kuon was still a great daddy.

"Yea" Kou smiled happily, he went over to his dad and rose his arms. "Daddy likes ducks?" he asked as Kuon kissed the top of his son's head, lifting him up onto his lap.

"Yes," Kuon grinned, he looked over to where there was a duck asleep on the ground by the like. He cuddled Kou closer, "You know, there's a country called Belgium and they say that if the duck sleeps on the water then it will rain soon and if he sleeps on the land, it's going to be a clear day. That's pretty smart, right?" he asked as Kyoko laughed just listening to him.

"Yea!" Kou said happily, "No more miter rain."

Kyoko laughed even more as she saw Kuon run his hands through Kou's hair and kiss his forehead. Kuon looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"Is something funny?" he asked with a clueless look on his face.

Kyoko grinned, "Not funny exactly, but I just really like hearing you talk about birds, Kuon, you're a very smart man," she said before looking at her son. "Daddy is really smart isn't he?" she asked with a smile.

"Yea! Da smarterist" Kou announced as Kuon kissed his cheek.

"Wat dose?" Kou asked as he pointed to some flowers by the pond, "Does pretty?"

"Those ones are called azaleas," the actor smiled as he saw his son's interest in the natural world. "You know that there's a story about those," he said as Kou looked up in the same way that Kuon used to look at Kuu when he was a kid. "You know once there was a magical fairy kingdom and the prince of the fairies had to go away on a special adventure to protect the fairy kingdom. Well, because the princess of the fairy kingdom loved the prince so much, she gave him an azalea flower to say 'take care of yourself because I love you'. Well, the prince found some of the tasks on his adventure very scary but he remembered the beautiful flower he had been given. He remembered how much he loved that fairy princess whenever he looked at that flower and was able to come home to her."

Kou looked up at Kuon with wide eyes and a huge smile. "Wooow" he said before looking at Kyoko who had her hands clasped and was smiling with tears in her eyes at the story.

Kuon looked at her and raised an eyebrow, he had just made that one up on the spot and yet she looked like she was putting so much faith into it. "I guess mommy really liked that story," he told Kou. "Maybe we should go somewhere for lunch?" he asked.

Kyoko nodded as she wiped a tear from her eye. "Oh yes, lunch," she said. "You need help getting up?" she asked Kuon nervously as he shook his head and helped Kou to the ground first. He grinned as he saw Kou wave to the ducks to say goodbye to them and picked up their bag.

"You tell the best fairy stories, Corn," she told her husband as she squeezed his hand and kissed his cheek.

….

….

 _Kyoko watched her husband as he talked to their infant son about a bird that they had seen fly by the window. She knew that Kuon didn't realize that she was here, much too involved with telling Kou about the different birds there were. She wouldn't change this. Her husband was so sweet as he made up stories about different birds and magic. She had the feeling that Kuon didn't really believe most of the stories he was making up, but she knew she was a reason he used those elements._

 _He had never stopped allowing her to believe in fairies and magic despite him losing faith in the world. She was beyond thrilled to hear him encourage that in his son as well. After all, for a long time she had felt that he was the prince of fairy kingdom. To give not only her, but her wishes such respect…well it just showed her the true Kuon._

 _As Kuon set a laughing and very happy Kou back in his crib, Kyoko came forwards and wrapped her arms around her husband's waist from behind._

" _Have you ever told him about how amazing my acting mentor is?" she asked as he looked at her._

" _Who are you referring to?" he asked, "My father?"_

 _Kyoko rolled her eyes. "I'm talking about my husband who I love so dearly," she said as she put a hand on his cheek. "You know, I'm not sure how many daddys would make up such beautiful stories about fairies so they can share their wife's beliefs."_

 _Kuon grinned to her, "Well, they probably didn't have wives as amazing and precious as mine," he said to her as he kissed her in a romantic manner. "I married a princess and I get to remember that every day. As far I'm concerned, whenever Tinkerbell shows up I'll be clapping along with you," he said referencing the famous play._

 _Kyoko wrapped her arms around her husband's neck and kissed him again. "I love you, my fairy prince."_

….

….

Kuon smiled as he watched his wife holding a sleepy Kou in her arms at the end of their outing, his smile had definitely grown despite all the fear and anger that was infecting his body. He hoped that there would be a lot of times in the future where he could have this type of joy with his family. Maybe if there were more times like these, it would be easier to get better, to feel more confident.

Kuon was definitely trying to relax his body until he noticed a note on the car and touched Kyoko's shoulder.

"Put Kou in—" he said before the image of a car bomb being set up entered his mind, "Take Kou away from here, now," he said, his breath pausing and his voice turning flatter. " _Now_ ," he repeated as he went over to the car, Kyoko watching him very nervously.

As she stopped and saw her husband approach the car, she noticed that there were three objects on there as well as a note. She wondered what it said and wished that she was the one who was going over there. She didn't want anything to trigger her husband especially after seeing how happy he had been that day.

As Kuon came to the car, he saw that there was a white sheet of paper and three dead birds, his heart started pounding in his chest and he felt a buzzing in his head. Somebody had killed these birds and left them on their car, there wasn't any other explanation for it. He looked at the birds as his stomach twisted, these birds didn't deserve it but as he studied them his gut sank as he realized the type of birds they were.

On the white paper, written in the blood of the birds, were the words

'I won't let you escape'.

He took staggered breaths as he stood back, his mind almost crashing into the deep darkness of what he had been through. "Kyoko, please take a taxi home," he said as he held to his wrist and Kyoko could see that he was drawing his own blood trying to control the fear.

She cautiously took a step forward before directing Kou's head away so that he wouldn't see the warning.

"What kind of birds are those?" she whispered. She knew that she didn't want to hear the answer to that question, she already knew that she didn't want him to answer because she knew exactly what type of birds those were.

"They're wrens," Kuon said as he fell to the ground and put his hands to his head. Kyoko wasn't caught off guard by the twisted giggle that came out of his mouth or that he seemed to be breaking even more inside. She quickly took out her phone needing to call someone to help, she knew Kuon wouldn't forgive her if she attempted to help him over Kou.

She turned away so there wasn't a chance of Kou witnessing this and breathed deeply. Once she heard the voice on the other side of the line, a small relief was felt. "Father," she said nervously. "I need you to come down here, _Kuon_ needs you to come down here."

Kyoko tried to think of the best thing to do before nodding as she resolved her mind around it. "Kuon, I need you to stand here right now," she said in a no-nonsense tone. She knew her husband was breaking, but if he could just pull himself together enough to hold his son for a few moments then she could get this done. She just had to get the dead birds and that haunting note off the car. If she did that she could work on calming Kuon down.

She looked up as her husband got to his feet extremely shakily and came over to her. "Sit," she ordered, her breath faltering slightly. "You need to sit down before you hurt yourself," she told him as he did so. She knew he was breaking inside but she just needed a moment before she could help him. "Don't let anything happen to him," she told him as she let him hold Kou.

She hated that inside she was a little scared that Kuon would do something to their son. She knew he was nervous about holding him right now, she knew that he was injured but if she could just clear the damn car.

Taking a bag out, Kyoko wrapped the birds in the note and shoved it in the plastic bag. She then got a bottle of water and started clearing up the mess from the car. She sighed and looked over to Kuon who was cuddling Kou closely and looking around nervously as if someone was coming over to hurt them. Kyoko came over and placed a hand on Kuon's shoulder. "I'm sorry for asking so much of you, I can take him," she assured Kuon who was gently running his hand over Kou's back.

"I've got him," Kuon whispered as Kyoko took a deep breath knowing Kuon was just doing his best to be a good father.

Kyoko looked over at where she had thrown the birds and the note beside the trash can. She hated that she had done that to the bodies so disrespectfully but it wasn't a coincidence that there were three wrens. She had been working so hard with Kuon to get him back to normal, to help him find confidence and the understanding that everything was okay. After seeing the death of a bird, an animal that she had known Corn had loved, a wren, her husband's stage name before he had revealed his identity, with the cause of death being him, something that was always rooted in Kuon's past, she didn't know what would come out of this.

Was it even possible to save him any longer?


	14. Chapter 14 - Alone

**Author Note:** Even though the previous chapter didn't get reviews, I wanted to still express how happy I am that there are people who are reading this story. I know it's quite a difficult one to get through so I'm very thankful that people do seem to like it. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well

 **Chapter Fourteen - Alone**

"Are you alright?" Julie asked as she looked at Kyoko who was sitting on the bed with Kaguya in her arms trying to play with a stuffed bunny with her. Kaguya kept giggling as Kyoko played with a bird and seemed to be making up a story where she was the bunny and Ren was the bird. The little girl probably didn't understand what the story was about, but Kyoko felt happy when she giggled about the toy animals.

Kyoko looked over at her mother in law and sighed, "I don't know how I can be," she said. "He's up there," she pointed to where they had an attic space, "all alone. He's refusing to eat or even be around other people. Last time I even went near to him he started to atta-"

"He attacked you?" Julie asked surprised as Kyoko gulped. She hadn't meant to say this much, she forgot how much of Kuon's behavior she was actually keeping to herself.

"No," she shook her head, "He didn't attack me. He started attacking himself, I can't handle seeing him cause _himself_ that much pain. I don't know what to do," she said as she held Kaguya closer to her.

She kissed her daughter's head remembering how Kuon had allowed her to use the name of Princess Kaguya for her own child. Kuon was always so good to her, he had always been so supportive during the pregnancies, he had never been unsupportive about her acting despite it taking time away from their relationship.

For a full year, Kuon had devoted himself to her to help cure her from the illness. She knew how hard it must be on him to even think that he had attended a funeral, that he hadn't helped her, but she had some idea. Kuon was going through something that she didn't understand at all right now and he wouldn't even let her get close to him.

It was all because, during a time when Kuon had allowed himself to be happy, somebody had tracked down their car and put three dead wrens on it. To Kuon's healing mind that had punctured deep and now he spent his time alone in the darkness and refused to eat, and as far as Kyoko was aware, refused to sleep. He needed his rest, he needed to get better, but she didn't want to see him hurt himself again.

"Honey, I'm sure that what he did was…" Julie said as Kyoko looked up in complete seriousness.

"He said that if I ever placed a finger on him that he would end his life," she said in a very direct way before looking back at Kaguya and playing with the bunny again. All color had been drawn from Kyoko's body as she admitted that. She didn't know how serious he was, but she had learned from Ren and then been reminded by Kuon, that she never wanted to test him on that. If he died then she would never be with him again.

Even if he had fully lost it… Even if he wanted to think of himself as an isolated recluse hiding in the bell tower, she wanted him alive. She could work with a psychological state, she could find doctors and medicine and very soon maybe she could even physically be able to touch him and help take away this pain.

What she couldn't work with was his life being over.

So, she had no idea what to do about this right now, but she knew that she would do anything to keep him alive even if that was leaving him alone. "Has…has father had any better luck?" she asked. At this point she didn't even care that it wasn't her who Kuon was turning to, if Kuu could help him feel better about all of this then she wanted it.

She just wanted him to be alright.

….

….

" _There you are," Kyoko smiled as she took slow steps towards Kuon. She held Kou in her arms, she had put some BandAids on his bruises and had made sure she was okay before coming up here. She could still see Kuon's shock and pain as the little boy had hurt himself by running too fast. She could see the fact that in Kuon's mind, he should have been able to protect his son more and stop him from hurting._

 _It was funny how careful her husband was, how much he was scared that something he said or did would lead Kou to be afraid or hurt. Then again it wasn't funny in the slightest. The way he looked when he was worried about his son was the exact same way Kuu had looked worrying about him._

 _Even though they had both had sad things happen in their childhoods, they worked as a team. When Kyoko was scared that she had acted as a bad mother, Kuon would always bring the three of them back together and remind her how wonderful she was. When Kuon had trouble, Kyoko would reciprocate._

 _This time it was her turn to comfort him._

" _Is he?" Kuon asked as he looked to the laughing two year old, "He's alright, right?" he asked as Kyoko handed him to his father and curled up next to Kuon's side._

" _He's fine. He's happy he's with his daddy. Kids fall, Kuon, in fact if he never fell then I'd be worried about him. You," she kissed his cheek, "were an active child too from what Kuu told me and from when I saw you as Corn. I think that this little guy will grow up with all the best qualities from his father."_

 _Kuon smiled as he kissed Kou's head, "As long as he has his mother in him too, he should be alright."_

 _Kyoko nodded, "It's true I'll be in there as well, but nobody has ever kept me safe like you have and I don't mean a physical sense of safety." She placed a hand on her chest, "I mean, in here, you kept me safe even if it scared you. You protected me at my most vulnerable and I will always be here to protect that part of you as well."_

….

….

Kuon sat still in the very corner of the attic. He had always told Kyoko that this was a place which helped him feel like he could fly and he loved being high up in the sky where he could see the birds. They were very fortunate that they could afford a piece of property like this and still continue their work as actors, or at least they had been before he was injured and made unfit for the camera.

He looked around at the different boxes they had put up here. There were memories of Kyoko's childhood she had reclaimed from her mother and the Fuwa inn and there were parts of his own life up here. He had been so innocent as a child and he had never really thought of how dark the world could get, at least he hadn't thought about that before the torture.

He was sitting down in the cramped environment in clothes that had blood and dirt on them and looking much different than he had when Ren Tsuruga. He was broken and he wasn't going to let Kyoko get broken too. Even looking at her felt sinful, it felt he was stealing a piece of the joy that the world had. He couldn't allow himself to do that again.

He heard a noise and looked up in fear before seeing an older blond standing there and looking at him.

"Hey," Kuu said as he took a couple of steps towards his son. He walked slowly and as soon as Kuon tensed up, Kuu paused and looked him over. He knew from experience that if he tried too much, his son would lose it. He didn't want to hurt him anymore and so only being as near as Kuon felt comfortable was most likely for the best.

"What do you want?" Kuon asked, "an apology?" he refused to look at his father. He was far too ashamed of himself for that.

"No, I just wanted to see you," Kuu said. "You know, just getting out of the hospital a short time ago means that you should probably be in a bed or at least somewhere you can stretch your legs out. I know that seeing that was hard, but…"

"If I go back there…will it help?" Kuon asked as he looked at Kuu's shoulder.

The half-Japanese actor sighed, he wondered what _there_ meant for Kuon. He hoped it meant with Kyoko and his children. He hoped it meant with himself and Julie. Kuon had broken, it was easy to see that, but he wasn't completely gone, they could support him and help him recreate himself. This Kuon right now was so much more scary than the fifteen year old he had sent off to Japan. He was the only one to get close to his son, he couldn't blow it.

"I think so," Kuu nodded, "Kyoko really loves you. She's so scared for you being alone up here, you don't want her to be afraid; right?" he asked as Kuon looked away.

"I will scare her more if I'm with her," he said as he tried to run his fingers through his extremely messy hair once again. "I'm not the man she fell in love with," he said. "I can't pretend to be him anymore, one of those birds was _her_ , dad" he said as Kuu felt his heart being hurt along with Kuon's.

He knew all about the special little message that had been left for his son, but he didn't have the skills to help Kuon through it. All he could do was sit here and listen, wait for his own son to explain the pain he was feeling. Hopefully Kuon hearing him would be enough.

"It must feel horrible," Kuu said as he attempted to change the subject, "Truly awful to have gone through seeing her sick, thinking that you lost her, but she's here now and she really wants to…"

"I'm not her husband anymore!" Kuon snapped bitterly as Kuu tried to steady himself, tried to let his nerves relax.

"In her eyes, she'll always see you as her husband," Kuu said as he wanted to wrap his son up in his arms. However, his son was too broken for that and Kuu was afraid what getting closer to him would result in. "She loves you. Could you please just see her, if only for a moment?" he asked. He knew how it felt to see Kuon here, but he also knew how Kyoko was taking it to not even be able to see him. "Please?" he asked as Kuon shook his head.

"Never. I'm not her husband. She deserves so much better, I got her sick," he said as Kuu looked down. He couldn't shake off his own guilt, if he had never taken away that man's career then his son would be a happy father who would be playing with his wife and kids. The family would be in tact again.

"You didn't, but you are worrying her up here," Kuu said before looking away. "You want anything to eat?" he offered before seeing Kuon shake his head and wrap his arms around himself again. "Okay, just know that we love you and whenever you are ready we will welcome you back with open arms. You're part of our family and you always will be, we love you, each and every one of us love you so unconditionally," Kuu said before walking over to the ladder.

"Dad," Kuon looked up as Kuu nodded, "You think it's really best if I go back?" he asked as Kuu smiled thinking that he had been able to reach his son.

"Definitely," he said before leaving.

….

….

Kyoko had the feeling that somebody had been in her room whilst she had been sleeping and as she woke up, she looked across at where her husband had always slept. Her heart hurt again as she saw that he wasn't there. She wanted him there, she was incredibly lonely without him. More than that, she didn't even know if he was alright, if he was surviving. All she wanted to do was convince him about how incredibly loved he still was.

As she sat up, she noticed an envelope on the pillow and opened it.

Her heart broke when she saw a picture of her favorite wedding photo but instead of Kuon's happy face there was the mark of a cigarette burn. She knew what this meant, her husband was rejecting himself as the man she married. The next thing gave her an even deeper heart ache, his wedding ring. She closed her eyes and wrapped an arm around her as she remembered the love and safety she had felt when she had put this on his hand.

The third was a note in Kuon's own handwriting:

' _I'm going back where I belong. I'm so sorry – the monster'_


	15. Chapter 15 - The Aviator

**Author Note:** Yes, another quick update on this one. Hope you enjoy.

 **Chapter Fifteen – The Aviator**

It had been seventy one days since she had last seen him. Sixty nine days and four hours since she had heard from Kuu that though he was doing okay, he wasn't coping too well. Sixty eight days and eighteen hours since she had seen that horrifying note. She hated herself for not seeing how badly he was hurt, not getting him help.

Now it was too late. He couldn't possibly be alive anymore, they would have dangled him in front of her if that was the case. Hopefully they weren't dangling his body somewhere. After everything that her husband had been through, it was his choice to go back and face pain. Could she even help him through this if she saw him.

She looked down at the location details that she had been given by the president. Apparently, Kuu had given the information needed to get some wrong locations but maybe this one was the right one. This location was being rented by one of the names that were on the other location she had been to and seen someone else tied up with a noose around their throat.

It haunted her that there was even a team of people who had these dark and morose feelings. Perhaps she should never even have hope in Kuon being alive. She finally found the warehouse that was on the information card. She knew that it was foolish to go in alone, Kuu had been with her during the other times, but she was desperate.

Julie was with the kids in America where they would be safe together. She had to find her husband before it was too late…even if she found the worst she would still have his body and be able to honor him. As she took a few steps into the room she saw that the abandoned warehouse was empty apart from one figure in a chair with their back turned to her.

Kyoko wondered whether they had seen her, whether they had seen the light from outside, whether they knew who she was. She took deep breaths as she tried to push her back against the wall and keep out of sight.

 _Kuon_ , she thought to herself, _you have to be here somewhere. Please, my sweet corn, if you're here you have to help me find you._

"You a challenger?" the man in the chair asked in a deep and yet very familiar voice as Kyoko looked up. She felt her heart pause in her chest as she tried to take in the words that had just been said. She wasn't sure of how to respond to that, but she needed to hear this man speak. Her heart was so drawn to that voice.

"Excuse me?" she asked nervously trying to reach in her pocket for the knife she carried.

"I said," the man repeated as Kyoko latched onto the voice. It was his, his when he was portraying someone dark and ominous, but still her Kuon's voice. "Are you a challenger?" he turned around and Kyoko was shocked to see his face. Somehow the scars, the burns, they weren't there anymore. He looked like himself – although she did notice the blond buzz cut – but his eyes showed a lack of recognition and if she dared to be honest, a lack of humanity there as well.

"A challenger?" Kyoko asked as she looked at the man she wanted to rush to and wrap her arms around and apologize for not being a better wife.

All her feelings stopped when she saw Kuon stand, go over to a mouse who was eating some scraps of bread in the corner, and suffocate the animal without even blinking. She didn't know what to say in response to the dead animal corpse that he so easily let drop from his hand.

" _I really love nature, Kyoko-chan," Corn grinned. "It's like every bird has a place in the sky and…"_

" _and the fairy kingdom is like that too, Corn?" Kyoko asked with a smile._

" _Yeah," Corn laughed, "Everyone deserves to live no matter how big or how small."_

Kyoko took deep breaths in to avoid freaking out about the fact that her husband who was looking at her as if she was a discarded piece of wilted radish, had just murdered an animal without seeming to have a second thought about it. She saw him smile in a manner that was even darker than Cain's.

"Don't you love it when the breathing stops?" he asked her as he raised an eyebrow, "I wonder if humans can do that too." He looked at her with a teasing smile, "Would you like to find out? Your name is Miss Mogami right? I heard you had received the invitation."

Kyoko felt herself shiver in fear. What on earth was going on here?

"Corn," she whispered pained by what was going on, "Corn stop it. Corn this isn't you," she wrapped her arms around herself. Why hadn't she found him sooner before he had become like this? She looked over to him. He did look attractive still with the leather pants, black turtleneck, and leather jacket matching the leather boots. He looked so much more like Cain though than her Kuon.

"Who on earth are you calling for?" Kuon asked as he shot her a deep and dark look, "My dear," he laughed, "Are you volunteering yourself to become part of the collection? I never was able to get my hands on a human."

Kyoko tried to measure her breaths as she stood there in complete panic. This was Kuon, she knew it was him, or at least used to be him. She felt the tears in her eyes as she tried not to succumb to the pain. She had to channel someone, Natsu or Setsuka or even Mio. Someone, just someone who could win against the man in front of her whoever he was.

"Of course sweetheart," she said as she narrowed her eyes. There had to be some kind of an off switch or a 'turn Kuon back now' switch. She just had to locate it.

She looked him over as he picked up a dead bird from the ground. She could try to knock him out but then who knew how he would be if she had done that to him. It seemed like such an internal takeover that she was sure he went to sleep thinking he was this way and then woke up again as the same individual.

"What do they call you?" she asked as she tried to come up with a plan. She watched his eyes, she didn't see her Kuon there, she saw a sense of deep and dark emptiness. She needed to see at least a glimpse of her Kuon.

"I am The Aviator," he said as Kyoko saw him take out a katana from behind him. She gulped, had he actually attacked people before? Had they trained him to kill and if so was it even worth being here with him? Was she going to get her head chopped off by the man she loved most in the world.

As Kyoko nervously looked at him, her eyes went to his lips. She had to at least risk it.

She ran forward to him, dodging the blade and took his head in her hands, kissing him passionately before seeing a flash in his eyes. She saw the katana drop to the ground.

Kyoko felt a breeze to her right before seeing that the katana had cut her hair off to just above her chin. She looked at herself again, fortunately there were no cuts or wounds to her, just that uneven hairstyle. She managed to get the katana from him with her foot and then held it as she stood.

She walked over to the body on the floor and wondered if this was over, but then again the way that 'The Aviator' had looked at her showed that he had been forever warped by this. "K-Kuon?" she dared to ask as she made her way over to him. She saw him look at her and then seem to scramble to his feet and took shaky steps away from her.

"Kyoko…" he repeated as she finally allowed herself to smile, so she could get her husband back with a kiss, "Stay…stay away. Don't get near…"

Kyoko looked him over. She wondered what they had made him do or how much they had corrupted his brain for their own pleasure and delight. She was glad that she had some identification on them but now she needed to track them down and pay them back for this very sick treatment of her hero. "You idiot" she whispered as tears filled her eyes. "I came here to find you and this is the way you're treating me. I thought you loved me, Kuon," she said feeling the exhaustion ghost through her body, "I thought you loved me."

"I'm the one who got you sick," Kuon replied as he looked around not knowing where he was. "I'm responsible for all the pain that you…"

"You are really an idiot!" Kyoko yelled at him, she couldn't take how much her heart was hurting her right now. "I didn't feel pain because you were by my side. You are my Kuon…"

Before Kyoko could register what was going on there was another flash in Kuon's eyes. "You want to become a caged puppy like the rest of them," he waved his hand to where he had some starving dogs. "You know, you can take out your anger on a pet and train them to be a beast. That's what…"

"That's what you went through is it?" Kyoko asked as she glared at him.

She wasn't sure how she was going to help Kuon when he could just snap into this new character so easily. Was there even any chance that she could help him, she never wanted to give up on him. She hoped that there would never come a day when she would have to give up on being with Kuon and try to get 'The Aviator' to fall in love with her.

She dared herself to kiss him again before stepping back, "One…two…three" she started counting as Kuon looked at her with confusion and heartbreak in his eyes. Kyoko knew that he wasn't able to control it. She didn't know much about this psychological manipulation, but if this was supposed to scare her away from the love of her life, forget it.

"Twenty eight, twenty nine," she continued to count as he stared at her.

"Kyoko, I am so sorry. You need to leave here right now! You need to go! I don't want to be responsible for you getting hurt!" he yelled at her terrified, running his hand over the buzz cut again and again. "I would never forgive myself if I hurt you."

"sixty seven, sixty eight," Kyoko whispered to herself as she nodded.

As soon as she counted to ninety however, the cruel character that her husband had become came back with a cold and horrifying smile. Kyoko looked down, it took a minute and a half for the aviator to appear that time. Maybe there was a way that she could help him, she just hoped he would forgive her for it.

…..

….

 _Kyoko woke up in the bed that she shared with her husband and saw him to the side, he was sitting so still and his face was in an expression of deep guilt and shock. She had an idea what this was about. "Kuon," she said softly, "are you okay?" she reached out for him._

" _I'm fine," Kuon said shakily, "I'm sorry to wake you. Go back to sleep, I'll be fine, I promise."_

 _Kyoko frowned and stood. She got out of the bed and went over to his side. She wrapped her arms around him, "No matter what it is, I want to be there for you helping you through. Don't you trust me?" she asked playfully._

" _Of course," he said as she kissed his cheek again. No matter what, she wanted to protect him._


	16. Chapter 16 - That Kind of Monster

**Author Note:** This is quite a slow moving chapter but I hope you enjoy it. I hope that I was able to play with emotions with this one even though there's not a lot of action =D Well, I hope you enjoy.

 **Chapter Sixteen – That Kind of Monster**

It had been a week since she had seen Kuon the last time. Kyoko hadn't wanted to find out that he had murdered anyone or that he was a criminal in other ways. She really didn't want to have them have broken him so much, but the police had told her that he hadn't killed anyone and he hadn't hurt anyone. Someone would give him an assignment after they had taken somebody, but Kuon would always break free of the hold enough to save them. _That_ was the character of the man she married.

However, now it was even blacker times and Kyoko felt that she couldn't move freely. At least she wasn't the one who was wearing the straight jacket in the psych ward. She looked to her wedding ring and put her hand on her chest thinking about her husband. She hadn't found the strength to see him since she had had Lory send for him to be locked up. She felt so guilty about all of it.

What was worse was when Kuu had told her that Kuon didn't want to see anyone but her and she still couldn't go. Was it because of the guilt that she felt with how the news media had finally picked up whiffs of the story or could it be because she really was scared to see him in there?

If they hadn't been married, hadn't been in love, would she have called someone to take him away and lock him up? Kyoko wrapped an arm around herself as she tried to figure it out. If they weren't involved like they were then she knew she would have done something but then she would never have good thoughts about him again. She could imagine having some amount of fear channeled by the feeling that she was a junior to his senior, but she still might have judged him too harshly for this. She would still have been scared of him, even as Cain he had scared her.

She looked at some of her own scars, fainter now, and took deep breaths in. She closed her eyes but that made everything feel more vulnerable.

….

….

" _Kuon," Kyoko tried to argue as her husband sat with her during the hospital checkup. Her 'illness' was definitely making her weaker now. It had already taken away her jobs as an actor, but now they were trying to suggest that she stop walking around freely. She had to admit that she didn't feel as strong as she used to, but a wheelchair!? Really!?_

" _I don't want to sit in that, I'm fine. I don't want to be helpless," she shook her head defiantly._

 _She paused as Kuon stood up and came towards her, she noticed how weak he had become over the duration of her illness. It wasn't that he was becoming physically weak, she knew he had been exerting some of his stress physically, but his soul was more delicate and fragile._

" _I could always paint it," he told her as they looked at the chair together. "I mean, if it's the style of it that's the problem then we could add some bells and whistles, I mean literally if that will make you happy," he grinned playfully._

 _Kyoko rolled her eyes, "You know that that isn't what it's about, Kuon. Plus, maybe we shouldn't be spending too much o-"_

" _You want me to make a call for a gold plated one?" he asked with an adorable smile as he held up his phone. Kyoko laughed at how silly he was being and she knew it was just to cheer her up. "How about solid gold with diamonds?"_

" _Kuon," Kyoko said as she pressed kisses to his upper arm, "Your phone is off. Besides, it isn't what it looks like that matters. It's what it means. It means that I'm not working, that I can't walk around, that I'm not persevering as much as I should. Imagine what the press would think if I just stayed so trapped."_

" _I think you're looking at it wrong," he grinned to her before moving her onto his lap and drawing her to his chest. "See, you just see a wheelchair here, don't you?" he asked, "but you don't see that your husband will be holding to those handles and that he will feel better that you're safe and protected," he looked to her and sighed. "If you don't want me to wheel you around like a princess, though?"_

 _Kyoko giggled as she heard the drumming of his heart under her ear. "Alright. I do want that, I do want to be given the princess treatment as long as you're my prince."_

" _I'll never be able to step down from that position willingly," he told her with a grin._

...

…..

Kyoko looked at herself in the reflection of the hallway mirror and felt her heart break again. She was staying in their house and her thoughts were of running off to America and leaving Kuon behind. She hated herself for being so scared to see him especially when he had asked for her. She didn't want to see him that way, she didn't want to see what someone else had done to him when she could remember the Kuon who loved her so much. She wanted the happy memories and she was so guilty about being terrified to see his deterioration.

She felt herself shiver as she remembered all the times that he had wrapped his arms around her and held her tight as they both looked in that mirror. She remembered teasing him about his blond hair when he hadn't scheduled an appointment to get it cut. She also remembered telling him how it was his responsibility and makeup and hair wouldn't do everything for him.

She remembered Kou describing how blond his daddy's hair was and from that she felt an even greater pull at her heart. She knew that he had broken the first time. He had given away his own freedom and health to protect her, but she hadn't imagined he'd go back. Now she didn't want her kids anywhere near them…she paled as she looked up wide eyed. Had she just referred to Kou and Kaguya as _her_ children instead of theirs?

Was it right to keep them away until Kuon got better? She couldn't endanger her kids by leaving them with a mons- she froze. No, Kuon wasn't a monster. He was just hurt. He had been tortured and had broken psychologically, but he wasn't a monster. Even if he did become a monster, he would be her monster.

She looked down. Was it really best to separate herself from him? She went to sit down, running her fingers through her hair. Sometimes someone, anyone, needed some time to themselves to think. Sometimes silence was the best thing that could be given to anyone. She didn't know how to make him better, but the doctors did. They had to. Kuon was fine if he was alone, right?

Kyoko felt tears slip down from her eyes.

….

….

" _Corn, do fairies have friendship parties?" Kyoko asked cutely as she stood in front of the ten year old. Her smile was as wide as her eyes as she looked at the young fairy prince. He was telling her all of these wonderful stories about the magical fairy kingdom. She was so in awe of these magical stories._

 _Kuon tilted his head to the side, "Do you have friendship parties, Kyoko-chan?" he asked managing to deflect another question from her._

" _I'd like to," Kyoko grinned before pouting, "That is I'd like to have them with Shou-chan. I don't really know anyone else, but Shou's my prince and any day with him is like a great big party."_

" _He sounds pretty special," Kuon laughed as he saw the girl drift off into the fairyland inside of her head. "I've really enjoyed spending time with you, Kyoko-chan," he grinned happily as she looked him over._

" _Corn, are you going to play with other fairies soon?" she asked as Kuon rubbed the back of his neck._

" _I'm not sure, but because I met you, I haven't been alone," he replied. "I'm fine being alone, but I have liked -"_

" _Don't do it Corn," Kyoko said as she raised a fist in the air to show her determination. "Corn, you should never say such a sad thing as it's okay if you're alone. That is a really sad thing to say and I hope you don't get cursed."_

" _Don't worry about me, Kyoko-chan," Kuon grinned to her. "I'm happy with my memories and now I'll have you in my memories too. A very meaningful memory."_

 _Kyoko smiled warmly as she enjoyed her moments with her fairy prince._

….

….

Kyoko broke down harder as she thought about those special memories she had shared with the fairy prince, the boy who would grow up to be the man who helped her find love again, the man who strengthened her acting skills, the man who would proudly become her husband.

She had hated for Corn to be alone when she was younger, she hadn't liked the idea that someone so special was isolated and hadn't really done anything wrong. Even though she had only had eyes for Shou during that time, she should have seen what was right in front of her. Maybe she was selfish for wanting to keep the pure Corn the way he was, but she didn't want to see her husband in pain. If only he would talk to Kuu and she could make sure that he was alright. She just needed to know how he was coping, she didn't need to necessarily see him.

"I'm sorry, Kuon," she said before getting her phone out, maybe she could just fly over to America and forget about things for a while. It wasn't that she was running away from her problems, she would only be going over there to keep an eye on her children.

Maybe being with Kou and Kaguya right now would be the best thing for everyone.

….

….

"So, he still won't see me?" Kuu asked as he looked desperately at one of the doctors. "Don't you know who I am?" he tried to ask them before the doctor shook his head.

"We know you're Kuu Hizuri, his father, but if Kuon is going to refuse to see anyone other than his wife then that's how things have to be," the doctor said. "I really am sorry for all of this. Is there any news on whether she's going to see him?"

Kuu froze before shaking his head. "I'll leave," he sighed, "but call me if there is any change. At any moment if he asks for me, I'll be here. Let him know that?" he asked before finally agreeing to leave. Kuu had no idea what Kyoko was doing or why she thought this was for the best. Kuon wouldn't talk to anyone apart from her and she wasn't here.

Kuu just hoped that Kuon wasn't going through too much pain.

….

….

" _So," Kuon heard a woman speak as he kept his eyes closed whilst on the ground. He had to regulate his breaths or they would know he had woken up from the unconsciousness they had caused him from the whip. "You know, he gave himself to us for his little princess, but she won't love him anymore if we attack his face."_

" _You got an idea for this one?" the man asked._

" _Well, I always do like fire," the woman said. "It's a shame though. All I had to do was dangle his wife in front of him and he leapt at the chance to sacrifice himself for her. However, love is fickle. Even if those types of husbands exist don't mean those kinds of wives are married to them."_

" _So, you're thinking of scaring her off," the man smiled._

" _The burning will just be a warning to her. She'll never be able to accept his mind if we break it. She's only after material goods with this one, I've heard there's nothing good insi-"_

" _You're wrong," Kuon whispered. "You give my wife too little credit. She would never turn her back on anyone, she's too…" he felt the pain again._

" _You can bet she'll reject a monster like you," the woman said as Kuon felt himself being pushed through the pain, "a freak like you."_

….

….

"She'll reject a monster like you," Kuon repeated as he sat in the padded cell.

He had always believed that Kyoko would love him even if he was a monster, but nobody should love a monster like him.

It was probably the best thing for her if she never came.


	17. Chapter 17 - I'll giver her everything

**Author Note:** So, fair warning, this chapter is pretty emotional. I actually suffer from bipolar disorder (type 2) and I've entered a deep depression due to personal/work problems. I also know that there are things in this fic that are kind of a mess so in the future I might rewrite it, but for now I just want to go with what is here.

I hope that, even though it is extremely sad, you enjoy it.

 **Chapter Seventeen – I'll give her everything**

It was two weeks now since Kuon had been taken to the psychiatric ward and Kyoko had made up her mind not to see him. In her mind, she had convinced herself that this man wasn't Corn the fairy prince anymore, he wasn't Ren the very talented actor, and he wasn't even Kuon her husband anymore. She had his ring and she had hers but she had recently put them both in a box and kept them out of sight.

Kuon wasn't _hers_ anymore, he had been brainwashed and damaged beyond repair and it wasn't fair to treat him as the same person anymore. She had to free herself of this guilt and this bond that he had wanted to keep between them. She had heard Kuu's worried voice say that the hospital kept telling him Kuon was getting stable in his mind but weaker physically due to his desperate need to see her if only for a few seconds.

Kyoko didn't want to see him. She had been the cause of him sacrificing himself and she needed to set him free to spread his wings and fly freely. She needed to be with her children, she needed to keep the real Kuon's memory alive. She just had to file the paperwork. She had boxed up everything that belonged to her and the kids in their house and was planning on going to America to start a new life.

Hopefully it wouldn't take too long to find a job, get a work visa, and settle the children in the vacation home, the place where she could raise her children. She loved how much of the old Kuon was in those two children, but the real Kuon didn't have anything to give left. She had to set him free.

She stood in the airport as she held the handle of her suitcase, she had already given instructions to Moko that when she arrived to ship their belongings. Things just felt better this way. She heard her flight being called and stepped forwards with her passport in hand. Taking a deep breath she whispered words she had felt for a while now, "Goodbye, Kuon" she said before entering the plane.

….

….

" _Corn," Kyoko asked with a smile. "Do you like being a fairy?"_

 _Kuon watched her and squeezed his upper arm obviously not liking the fact that he was lying to her as much as she did. "Yeah," he shrugged, "It's okay, I guess. You want to see me fly?" he asked her, "I can't do it as well as Dad can but I've been practicing."_

 _Kyoko grinned, "Sure," she said with such excitement, "I've never seen a fairy fly before," she laughed happily._

 _Kuon smiled at how he had been able to give her this much happiness. "Okay," he said before leaping into the air and trying to prove his acrobatic skills. When he landed on his feet, he looked at her and saw her clapping as hard as she could. He looked down. Maybe he shouldn't have tried so hard._

" _Wow, Corn" Kyoko smiled widely. "That's amazing, but why did you come down so quickly?" she asked. "I wanted you to fly further,"_

 _Kuon thought for a moment before looking down. "Well, I want to fly but Dad's presence is so big. I can't reach him."_

" _He must be really strong," Kyoko said thoughtfully, "I mean, maybe it's his hands, he catches you before you can fly properly."_

 _Kuon laughed, "Yeah, something like that," he said as he rubbed the back of his neck._

….

….

Kuon heard his psychiatrist trying to speak to him, but all that he heard was noises he couldn't keep up with. He hadn't been able to eat or sleep as his body ached for a woman he had sacrificed his life for, a woman who he might never see again.

"So, do you want to talk about how you feel?" the man asked him as Kuon stared ahead of him.

He shook his head. His throat felt like it had shut, he didn't want to use his words for anyone other than Kyoko. Nothing he said was important but if it was Kyoko he would try. He looked down at the carpeted floor of the office. Would they really try to make him speak? He was an animal, a monster. He should have known he would never be forgiven for Rick. He should have never have tried to have anyone as important as Kyoko.

"I have something of importance to share with you in that case," the doctor said before opening a separate file and Kuon looked up nervously. What on earth was he talking about? What was there of importance?

"It's from your wife," the doctor said as Kuon felt his body light up inside.

So, maybe she hadn't come but she had taken the time to send him something. She had put energy into writing something for him. Maybe he wasn't losing her after all. He wrapped his arms around himself. Some days he really missed the straight jacket but the doctors had started to trust him not to wear it unless his emotions were too strong.

"I don't really know the right way to read it," the doctor said as he frowned holding the document. "Maybe it would be better if you did." He handed the paper over to Kuon who nervously took it.

He looked over it to see it wasn't a letter or anything heartfelt. It was a legal document with a title that made his heart sink worse than it ever had before:

 _Divorce Information Packet_.

Kuon looked up at the doctor in shock as he felt his heart shatter. Was he that disgusting to the woman he had married? Did she really hate him that much? He looked at it again.

 _Please complete this packet completely and accurately. The amount of time and effort you put into filling out this packet is directly related to the amount of time necessary to complete your petition and other documents needed to obtain your divorce._

Kuon started shaking as he held it. Kyoko had filled out everything on there apart from his signature and the date of it. Kuon looked it over again as if it wasn't really happening. The woman he had saved, the woman he had married, the woman he had gone through all the torture for was rejecting him in the process of divorcing him.

He couldn't sign this yet, he wouldn't even be able to hold a pen to this document. He knew that he would give her everything that she asked for including solo custody over their children. She saw him as a monster now and he was. He had been broken and she knew that.

"I…" Kuon said slowly, his voice weak since he barely spoke anymore. "I'd like to see my father now," he requested. Tears in his eyes and his entire body shaking as he tried to process it without wanting to understand. He was relieved when he saw his psychiatrist nod.

This hurt him far too much for him to understand.

…

…

Less than an hour after he had been phoned, Kuu was sitting in the waiting room wanting to see his son. He didn't know why Kuon had finally agreed to meet with him, but he would take it. Any chance to see any version of his son he would take willingly. He needed to make sure the boy he loved, his own son was living and breathing.

"Kuu-san," a kind nurse said as she approached him. "You can see him now."

Kuu took a deep breath before standing up. He had been preparing himself for two weeks to do this, to sit face to face with his little boy. He didn't give a damn if Kuon was a complete lunatic, he loved him and he would always love him.

As he saw Kuon, the completely shattered and hollow form of his son, his mind went back to the fifteen year old he had sent away. Only this time, the feeling that Kuu got from seeing him like this was much worse. His son was there, he was present, surely it couldn't be worse than before.

"Hey," he said as he sat down opposite the man, "It's really good to see you, thanks for letting me come. It means a lot that you asked to see me," he tried to smile but he saw the dead eyes Kuon had. It was as if something had sucked out all of his strength as well as all of his emotions.

He reached out for his son's hand before seeing the man show how broken he was and so stood. Kuu crouched down in front of the seated man and wrapped his arms around him. "Kuon?" he asked as he touched his son's cheek. "What is it? What's wrong? Can you tell me?" Kuu almost begged despite his usually strong and calm personality.

"She hates me," he whispered as Kuu hated how broken his voice was, what on earth had happened? "I'm a monster. I'm a monster who can't be loved," he whispered, his voice shaking.

Kuu wrapped his arms around his son and started to rub his back. "That's not true. Kyoko loves you so much, she's just not strong enough to see you right now. She doesn't see you as a monster and neither does your mother. I don't see you as anything other than my sweet little boy, my son. I love you, Kuon. I hate that I did this to you," he admitted as he tried to hold Kuon close as his child shook, breaking down as he had when believing Kyoko had passed away.

Kuon handed him the papers, still unsigned, and Kuu gently took them out of his hand. Looking at them, Kuu's eyes widened. What on earth had caused Kyoko to do such a wretched thing? So what if Kuon's mind had snapped, so what if he had been broken psychologically, trying to divorce him was such a heartless thing to do that he couldn't understand the action.

"Kuon, I am so so sorry," he said before taking his son's chin in his hand and turning it so they could make direct eye contact. "But you are not worthless. You are so loved, so treasured. I want to make sure you're okay. You will always be my son. You are _not_ a monster at all. Do you understand me?" he asked as his heart broke for the man.

Kuon shook his head as Kuu pulled him close again.

If this divorce went through, Kuu would never forgive that woman.

….

….

It had been a long flight for Kyoko as she stood exhausted outside of Kuu and Julie's house. She had undergone so much pain thinking about what she had done, but she couldn't imagine that Kuon wouldn't be happy about it. She had set him free. In her mind, she had saved him.

She waited for Julie to open the door and was surprised as the older woman slapped her immediately. It was such a cold and hard slap that Kyoko felt the pain coursing through her cheek and through her whole body.

"How dare you!?" Julie yelled with a strong glare. "How dare you do that to him!? After all that he's suffered for _your_ sake. You'd best believe that if Kou wasn't awake I'd be calling you some very rude names due to your deplorable character. My son is far far too good for such a slut like you," she said trying hard not to swear at this repulsive vulture.

"I've come to collect my children," Kyoko said as she faced her current mother in law. "You have no legal right to take them away from me," she argued as Julie glared at her.

"That may be so, but I will never forgive you for treating _my_ baby like that," she said as she watched the woman she had loved so dearly and had broken her heart. "He gave you everything. He is broken because of you. He is suffering because of you. How dare you do that to him?" she said with a dark look on her face.

"Don't you think I know that everything that happened to him was because of me, was for me," Kyoko said. "What I did was the kindest thing that I could have done," she tried to argue as Julie slapped her again but this time from the other side.

"Neither I or my husband will ever forgive you for this," she said. "If he dies from this heartbreak, you can believe I will make sure you regret ever having him fall in love with you," she growled knowing she would have to give her grandchildren up to the witch who had destroyed her kid.


	18. Chapter 18 - You Can't Forgive Me

**Author Note:** I know I updated this a very short time ago, but I thought after the heartbreaking Chapter 17, this was needed. It is still sad since I'm still coping with that depression, but I hope people continue to enjoy it.

 **Chapter Eighteen – You Can't Forgive Me**

Julie had asked for a couple more hours with her grandchildren, saying that Kaguya being asleep was the reason for it but Kyoko just imagined Julie had a hard time saying goodbye to them. Kyoko had taken the time to go and look around and had stumbled into an electronic store that was selling a lot of digital and video cameras.

This didn't feel like her fault, it was all Kuon's fault. Kuon was the one who had turned into a monster. Kuon was the one who had trouble keeping his feelings under control. Kuon was the one who had broken. This wasn't her fault.

Was it?

Wrapping an arm around herself, Kyoko stared straight ahead at the cameras. She thought about how happily Kuon had always taken pictures of their family and she slid her finger over the item. With a deep breath in, she turned and her eyes caught onto a brunette girl behind the counter. How come this woman looked so familiar to her?

" _Smile for the camera, Busakimo. Your husband will love to see these photos, you know how much you hate him. The monster he is, he needs to see these."_

Kyoko looked down. She hadn't had any memories like this before, any thoughts about that short time in which she had been taken for torture. She had seemed to have it locked in her mind, so how come she could imagine it now. She looked at the brunette once more and her head hurt as she felt pain and realized this was either one of the women who had taken pleasure in their pain or she was a pretty good doppelganger.

" _What I want is for you to forget that love you had for your husband. You want to divorce that monster, you will always want to divorce that monster. He's ruining your life, don't give him that pleasure. Divorce him."_

Kyoko felt her breath tighten as she placed two fingers on her forehead. She felt her chest pull in and looked at the brunette with wide eyes. Had she really filed divorce papers against the man she loved? Why was she in America? Why wasn't she beside him when he needed her, when he had asked for her? Why hadn't she tried to see him?

She stared at the woman in horror. There had to be some trigger that had been pulled. She would never leave her husband like that willingly, she knew how much it would crush him. She tried to think about when her husband had told her about what had happened in America. It shocked her, but she had been there to support him.

She wasn't there anymore.

She approached the woman behind the counter nervously. She didn't know what was going on, but she suddenly felt so naked and ashamed of herself without her husband there with her. She was scared she would never see him again, terrified that he would never touch her again, mortified that he might not be in love with her anymore.

"Who are you and what did you do to me?" she growled, her eyes piercing into the woman in front of her.

The brunette looked up and adopted a look of confusion, "Excuse me?" she asked.

"I know it was you," Kyoko said in a pained voice. "What did you do to me?" she shook her head as she deepened the glare, "forget about me. What did you do to _him?_ "

"Who's him?" the brunette asked as Kyoko wondered if she had the right person. "I'm sorry that you're not in love with your husband," she said as Kyoko's eyes snapped open again.

"You have absolutely no idea how much I love him!" Kyoko snapped as the woman shrugged.

"Does he have any idea?" she asked as Kyoko felt her insides shatter. She had left him, abandoned him. He would understand about the brainwashing, right? He would understand that never in her right mind would she do that to him, wouldn't he?

"This isn't over," Kyoko said in a low voice as she tried to memorize the woman and tried to remember this store. She would get to the bottom of this, she would figure out how deep this crime went. Right now though wasn't the time to be anywhere else than with her sweet Corn. Kyoko nervously grabbed to her phone and texted Julie.

 _I know I've let you down, but could you stay with the kids another day or two?_

She asked before seeing Julie's one word reply of 'yes'. Kyoko had to get to the airport, she had to get back to Japan before it was too late. She just prayed that Kuon hadn't signed the papers yet. She had to tear them up, she had to make sure he knew how much she loved him.

….

….

Half a day later, an exhausted Kyoko sat in the waiting room at the hospital. She felt repulsed by herself. So what if she had done this because someone had tried to force her into it, that didn't matter. All that mattered was Kuon. His health and happiness were in jeopardy because of her.

As she was let into the ward, she saw him completely broken at the table. She felt her legs stop working. She hadn't seen him like this before, she had seen his depression and the anger he had directed towards himself, but this was beyond that and she had done that to him.

She walked nervously towards him before dropping down into a dogeza right in front of him. "I am so so sorry, Kuon" she said with her heart breaking. Would he kick her? Would that make her feel better or feel worse? She just wanted him to hurt her, scold her, punish her in some way.

"I didn't…sign the papers," he admitted in such a broken voice. "I don't know how…"

"Good," Kyoko said as she stayed in the dogeza afraid of looking at him. She felt she didn't deserve to look into those emotionless green eyes. "I'm so sorry, Kuon," she said. "I…I wasn't in control of myself. Someone brainwashed me for this. I am so sorry, please please please don't hold this against yourself," she begged.

She shivered as she felt Kuon's hand on her shoulder. "It's okay," he said as he barely touched her. His voice showed how emotionally exhausted he was and Kyoko felt the tears cover her face entirely.

"It's not okay," she sobbed with her whole body shaking. "It's not okay. Please don't tell me it's okay," she said with her body still shaking. She was a terrible wife and even though she had put the ring back on didn't mean that she deserved to be his wife. She had broken him and it was her fault. He had done everything in the world for her and she had allowed someone else to corrupt her and shatter the love she held so dear.

"It's okay," Kuon said, "I love you," he told her as she broke down further.

How could he be so forgiving towards her? After everything that she had done to him, every single way in which he had hurt him, he just said it was okay because she apologized? It wasn't fair to him. She had hurt him too much and he was just treating her with such kindness and forgiveness and affection.

It felt worse than if he had yelled at her.

"I love you too," she sobbed as she was still afraid of looking at him. "Oh god, Kuon," she said before putting a hand over her mouth to hold back the sobs. "I…please don't forgive me," she said as he rubbed her back hoping to comfort her. "Kuon, you can't forgive me. You're hurting…I won't let you forgive me," she struggled.

Kuon frowned. "You've apologized and said that you don't want a divorce, it's okay," he tried to smile to her as Kyoko felt herself crippled by his love. She had done everything to break him and he was just acting as if she was the most wonderful wife ever. "I don't believe in being mad at you," he said as she dared to sit up and look at him.

He was completely broken, she had crushed him, but he was still looking at her as if she was beautiful, still looking at her with such love in his eyes. She couldn't breathe. After everything that she had done to him, he was still there for her when she had left him.

"Kuon," she said slowly as she watched him. "Please don't forgive me?" she asked again.

"You're not the problem, Kyoko," Kuon said with a sad smile. "It's not your fault you married a monster. It's not your fault you decided to forgive someone like me. I should be thanking you for seeing me as a man."

Kyoko put a hand to her chest. She wanted him to scold her, yell at her, send her away, but he was just sitting here, a shell of a man saying he was the one to blame. How broken was he?

"I…" she said as she got to her feet, she hated the fact that Kuon tried to help her up. "I…"

"I know," Kuon smiled gently. "It's okay. You don't have to apologize any more…" he watched as Kyoko noticed the document on the table and started to tear it up into tiny pieces. She didn't ever want to divorce him, to lose him. Kyoko felt her heart break as he pulled her lovingly into his arms. She didn't deserve this, Julie was right, she didn't deserve him.

She couldn't breathe. He was just so accepting of all of the pain that she had pushed him through. "I…I'm going to talk to someone," she said as she felt her body turn into that of a rag doll. "You'd be happier at home, right?" she asked as he nodded slowly. "Then I'll take you home," she said before he reached out for her.

"It's best that I stay in my cage," he told her as she looked back at him. What on earth was he talking about? What cage? "Monsters stay locked up in cages," he told her as Kyoko felt the tug at her heart again.

"You're not a monster," she argued feeling horrible for tearing him apart. She watched him and knew that he wouldn't agree to getting out of this ward with her. "Can I…come back tomorrow to visit you?" she asked as he nodded.

"You don't…" he tried to argue but Kyoko wrapped her arms around him.

"I want to, I promise," she said hating to see him like this. She felt the tears in her eyes and turned towards the chair, she sat down feeling her stomach sink as she looked at him. He hadn't killed anyone and she had treated him like a criminal. He hadn't hurt anyone and she had rejected him and treated him like a monster. He was her dear, darling Kuon, but she had run away from him.

"So," she said as she put a hand on her upper arm, "is it alright in here?" she asked as the tears sparkled in her eyes.

"It is now you're here," Kuon smiled as Kyoko felt worse hearing that.

He should be angry at her. He should hate her. He definitely shouldn't be saying such sweet and romantic things to her. She felt her heart sink painfully and only felt relief when she heard a very angry voice behind her.

"Get away from my son, Kyoko" Kuu said as he watched her. "You don't deserve to be here," he said as he went over to Kuon's side just wanting him to be okay. "Don't you dare touch him. How dare you show your face here after what you've put him through?"

"Thank you, Kuu" Kyoko said with a weak smile before gasping as Kuon grabbed her hand and looked at his father.

"Leave her alone, dad" he said as she felt afraid of how protective he was over her. "If you can't accept my wife for who she is, then I never want to see you again."

"Kuon," Kyoko whispered before shaking her head as she looked at Kuu. "Don't do this. Please?" she asked as she tried to decide whether to leave him again or whether to stay and have Kuu walk away. Kuu hadn't abandoned him at all, Kuu had been coming here every day wanting to see that his son was alright.

"Please don't leave him, Kuu" she said before looking at Kuon. "He's right. Please, Kuon, for me, please don't send him away?" she pleaded feeling her heart break again.


	19. Chapter 19 - Real Monsters

**Author Note:** No flashback in this chapter, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. It, like all the other chapters, focuses on feelings quite a bit. Hope you enjoy

 **Chapter Nineteen – Real Monsters**

It hadn't taken a lot of convincing to get Kuon to agree to continue to see his dad, but after everything that had happened it shouldn't have taken any. Kyoko had somehow found a trigger that had made her want to leave the man she loved so much that she went to another country and served him with divorce papers. Still, Kuon, probably because anything looked beautiful to him when compared to the ugliness he felt towards himself, looked at her as if she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

It wasn't fair on him.

Still, she didn't want to leave him and cause him further pain. Kyoko felt terrible about how things had happened and at this point she just wanted to make amends with Kuu. She knew Kuu was angry at her, but she had to convince him that she was still the same woman who had married his son. She had also noticed Kuu's protectiveness over Kuon after he had completely broken and she also had listened to and respect his wish to have private visits with the man as long as Kuon was strong enough for it.

So, that was why, Kyoko was standing outside Kuu's large hotel room wanting to apologize and set things right.

She still felt like a terrible mother for leaving her children, hopefully they could back to being a family soon.

As she saw the door open, Kyoko attempted to smile but just saw her father in law's judgmental expression and his cautious eyes. "Kuu-san, I wanted to thank you for agreeing to see me," she said as she dropped into a bow before him.

Kuu looked away as he stepped out of the hotel room, checking his jacket pocket for the card key before closing the door. "Let's get this straight, I'm not talking to you for your sake, Kyoko. I am doing it for my son. If it wasn't for Kuon, I most likely wouldn't want to see you."

Kyoko flinched as she heard that and felt the tears in her eyes and the guilt flow through her body. "I know," she said sadly. "I know it's for Kuon, but please at least hear me out?" she asked. "I never meant to hurt him, I never meant to hurt anyone. I would never, in my right mind, do that to my husband. I love him."

Kuu raised an eyebrow, "At least one of you two does," he commented which tugged at Kyoko's heart again.

"I know," she choked as she still stood there in a bow, "I know he doesn't, I know he…"

"Seems to be telling me he's not even human anymore," Kuu cut her off. "My son thinks that he's a monster and I don't know if it's literal or metaphorical. Do you have any idea how hard it is to completely shatter someone like Kuon until he has trouble moving and speaking and breathing? Do you know that he's acting for you so you think he's okay and that you don't leave him again. If you saw the man that I visit," he said trying to control the volume of his voice.

"Kuu, I was brainwashed," Kyoko tried to defend herself. "I didn't leave him by choice."

Kuu looked away, "Oh, come on, Kyoko," he said bitterly. "Did you know that my son was ordered to kill people but he couldn't do it, he fought against it because he's not a murderer. Did you know that he's always fought against the brainwashing but you didn't even visit him when he asked for it. It wasn't that you left immediately either, you must have thought on that decision for a while before discarding him."

Kyoko took a deep breath in. "It's true that it took me a while to think about it," she admitted, "but why would I leave someone who -"

"Sacrificed so much for you?" Kuu asked as he cut her off again. "Yes, why wouldn't you feel indebted to a person who offered his life in exchange for yours. Every single time they hurt him, he survived the pain because he wanted to get back to his family. Knowing the extent of his psychological injuries, he tried to stay with you because of how much he loves you. He got completely destroyed but I'm sure he never wanted to hurt you. Now he's in the psych ward where you put him and I have to listen to visiting hours to see him because he wants to get better for you. Let alone how much he cared for you when we all thought you were dying, putting aside the pain and heartache he had when we thought you were dead. Kuon has given everything to you and if it wasn't for you, his heart would be better, his health would be better, and his mind would be better."

Kuu felt his body shake as he thought about his son, "You have no idea how broken he really is and each day he's getting worse but is afraid of showing you. He doesn't want to come home with you because he thinks he's a monster who needs to be caged to protect others, he doesn't want to be with you because you hurt him," Kuu continued. "Still, if I was given a chance to look after him I wouldn't even think about it and I definitely wouldn't fly over to America and run away from him despite my life, my work, my wife being over there. He stayed away from me for five years if you can remember and I am thankful for every moment he considers me his father."

"Kuu…" Kyoko said as she stared at him with tears in her eyes. "You know I would never want to hurt him."

Kuu scoffed and looked away, "Seems we're too late to find out. It's true that I don't want you with my son, but he loves you and he wants you and I just want him to have the things that make him happy. My son has a dark side but he has never stopped loving you and trying to help others. I'm not going to discard him like a common piece of trash."

"Kuu-san, I was brainwashed, just like Kuon," Kyoko tried to insist as Kuu watched her.

"If that were true I don't think you'd stay in Japan for two weeks. I'd think you'd want to be with your children immediately. Have you even thought about them? How they are feeling without either of their parents and how if you had been even a slightly better wife my son would be with them too?" Kuu took a deep breath before walking down the hallway, trying to ignore the woman behind him and acting as much of a jerk naturally as he had tried to act when first meeting her.

"Kuu, I just want things to go back to normal," Kyoko tried to tell him feeling her heart rip due to this rejection from this man who had let her call him Dad.

"If you really want that, stop coming to see me about it. Stop thinking you can apologize for how selfish you were and try to find some way of helping him. Try to find some way of paying him back for his sacrifices, all of his sacrifices," Kuu replied as Kyoko watched him. He was right, Kuu had given up so much to be a support for his son, but Kyoko didn't know how to solve this without his help. Sure, Kuon had sacrificed himself for her, but she had just been bait. The real problem had been because of Kuu.

"You're the one who started all of this," Kyoko whispered, "You're the one who told him to go back there."

Kuu turned around and shot her an extremely dark look, "I know that," he stated in a balanced tone. "I know what I did to cause this, but that doesn't mean I'm going to abandon him because they broke his mind, not like you did," he said before leaving.

….

….

Kyoko watched Lory nervously as she sat in his office. Despite Lory dressing in some middle eastern garb, Kyoko could still feel his dark feelings. She felt her heart beat heavily in her chest. She knew she had done everything wrong, but she hoped that the president would be understanding. He wasn't.

"Kyoko, you really disappointed me," he said bluntly as she sat very still. "Our agency has been attempting to keep the news to a minimum about you suddenly coming back from the dead, about Kuon breaking the way he has. Without you stepping forward to address all of this, the seams are loosening and it's going to come out in the wrong way."

"So, you're angry because I haven't done a news conference?" Kyoko asked nervously as she kept her eyes closed and head down.

"I am disappointed and frustrated by you because I graduated you from the Love Me section and none of what you have done would have given me hope you could become someone who could love," Lory said as he looked at her. "Do you know how much I care about the two of you?" he asked before sighing, "I don't know if you know this, but during the two times when Kuon had disappeared, he actually approached me and asked if he could call a press conference to discuss everything. He acted mature despite every single pain he was working with."

"Kuon's always been mature," Kyoko whispered as she felt her heart break. "Why wasn't I told about this?"

"Because I wanted to keep him safe," Lory replied. "You notice how you haven't seen Yashiro around recently?"

"I thought he was with a different actor," Kyoko said honestly as the president frowned.

"He's been working in the office, but his main role is to deflect the news reports away from the Hizuri family. I might have a lot of influence over the media, Kyoko, but I can't do everything. Yashiro volunteered to help Kuon and his career if he decides to come back," the president told her as he picked up his cup of tea. "It's interesting how much you don't know about what's going on especially since it involves you so much."

Kyoko looked down, the tears in her eyes. She knew that Kuu and Julie were mad at her, but she hadn't thought Kuu would report all of this to the president of LME. "I know how hurt he is," she whispered, "President, I was brain washed as well."

"If you were brainwashed to leave him, I wouldn't think you'd have spent two weeks in Japan deciding whether to leave him or not. You didn't even fight for love, you decided to deal with the fear instead," the president sighed before standing up and looking out of the window at the city around them. "So, what was your purpose of requesting to see me?" he asked looking away from her.

"I…" Kyoko whispered, "I want to get the name and any information available about the people who hurt Kuon starting with the cameraman," she said weakly. "I want to study the psychology behind brainwashing procedures. I want to make sure that the people who hurt him twice won't be able to get to him anymore and more than anything, I want to help my husband."

Lory walked over to a file cabinet and pulled out two large folders. "I've been looking into the same thing myself," he told her. "I'll make you copies of all of these documents, but without Kuu's help I don't think it's going to have as much value to you as it does to me."

Kyoko stared at the folders. How much was going on without her knowing it? What on earth had she been doing with her time? She had come back to Japan five days ago and she hadn't even started with this research.

Maybe she was a terrible wife.

….

….

Yashiro was nervous as he sat ready to meet with the other man. It had taken a lot of work to keep the media happy about the disappearance of two major stars and he was thankful that the president had noticed this and given him money to make up for the stress and lack of sleep. After a long time of being in the dark, Lory had finally given him Kuu's number and Yashiro was ready to meet with the man.

However, this visit came first. He needed to clear his head and calm himself so as to not lose his composure. His friend needed him to be calm. A psychiatric ward wasn't usually the place to give him that calm though. He looked up at the walls and felt his heart hurt. Would Kuon even want to see him after three weeks of being in this place? Lory had even mentioned something about a straight jacket.

"He's ready to see you now, Yukihito-san" a nurse smiled to him as Yashiro nodded and tried to steady himself.

As he was led into the hospital, he saw Kuon there and he felt his heart reach for his friend. The depression and lack of hope, lack of self love, was obvious before Kuon even said a word. As Yashiro got to the table, Kuon stood and the manager looked at the other man.

"Hey, thanks for agreeing to see me," Kuon said as Yashiro looked down.

"Any time, I should be thanking you. I've missed our guy nights, Kuon," he said as he made sure that Kuon was sitting down before he did. "So, we can talk about anything you want. We can talk about how the media thinks you're taking a mental health break, we can talk about how the Japanese people still love you, or we could talk about the fact that despite being in here, you're still getting offers if you ever want to get back into acting."

Kuon looked down with a weak smile, "I'd rather talk about you," he said. "I should have been a better friend."

So, this guy really had shattered into pieces.


	20. Author Note - Sorry Everyone

Sorry everyone, due to the complexity of the storyline I'm going to be rewriting this story yet again. The first chapter of the rewrite: titled Always Yours was just posted in case you wanted to read. Thanks for all of the support you gave to this, the third version of this story.


End file.
